


Changing Wind

by sureynot



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Beast Ganon, Canon Divergence - Hylian/Gerudo conflict, Conspiracy, F/M, Fantastic Racism, Fix-It, Having fun writing Ganondorf, He’s not a morning person, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, Intrigue, Self-Discovery, Slow Burn, Trauma, Twilight Realm, Twilight monsters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2019-08-20 23:30:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 53,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16565195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sureynot/pseuds/sureynot
Summary: It's been two-hundred years since Ganondorf's banishment and the Gerudo have been assimilated into Hyrule for centuries. When Ganondorf takes over Hyrule and brings the Realm of Twilight with him, many servants flee, the king and queen are murdered, and many soldiers are killed, but one servant girl remains behind. Of Gerudo descent, but with little knowledge of her ancestry or culture, she continues as a servant under her new master and becomes insatiably curious about the returned Gerudo King, Hyrule's dark hidden history and her connection to a lost people.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for clicking on this fic! Just throwing these first few chapters out there to test the waters because I haven't written for fun in many years. This fic is basically Twilight Princess: The Re-Telling. It takes place during the game and messes with the story a bit to give it a different ending. And there will be a lot of connections to OOT and hopefully accurate lore though I promise some creative liberties will be made.

_She feels like she is flying._

_A hot, dry wind batters her face and whips her long dark red hair behind her in a mess of tangles. Miniscule grains of sand sting her cheeks but she feels elated despite the pain as she rides through an endless world of sand._

_The setting sun bathes the surrounding landscape of dramatic canyons and sloping dunes in fierce, fiery oranges and reds and cool purple shadows stretch long over the land. She looks to the fiery horizon and lets out a wild battle cry, which is echoed by a chorus of female voices. They urge their lithe, proud horses ever onward over the dunes..._

"Amira!"

Suddenly the harsh and beautiful scenery of the desert is gone, replaced with nothingness.

"Amira!"

Disgruntled, Amira groans and stirs. She reluctantly opens her blue eyes to the one who woke her; a young woman of around twenty years clad in a simple tan dress and apron. Her curly brown hair has a reddish tint and she wears it piled up on top of her head in a high bun, showing off her pointed ears.

"I'm up, I'm up." Amira grumbles, glaring at the other woman, who is tapping her foot impatiently at her bedside.

"It's about time!" The she exclaims as Amira reluctantly peels her wool blanket back and dresses in her own plain dress and apron. "What would you do without me here to get you up? I swear you ignore the cuckoo calls every morning."

"Yes, I'm truly in your debt, Hadifa. The head cook would probably have cooked me into a stew and fed me to the royal guard by now." Amira mumbles as she combs through her thick dark red hair and coaxes it into a high ponytail. She looks around the long room with rows of simple wooden beds. They're all empty.

"Goddess, we're late aren't we?" She says, hastily slipping on her slippers.

"And you act like it never happened before! Everyone left for the kitchens ten minutes ago." Hadifa says. "Let's go, lazy!"

The two women race out of the communal bed chamber they share with ten other women and girls, and run down the stone corridor lined with doors leading to other rooms; some communal, some private. They make it through the twisting passageways of the servant's quarters to the kitchens in a matter of minutes, arriving in the noisy, steaming rooms already sweaty and panting. They silently take their places among a large group of women of varying ages and complexions. Most women are like them; tall in stature with reddish tints to their hair. Shorter women with paler skin and blonde or brown hair bustle in and out of the kitchens from other passageways, taking carts laden with teapots and breakfasts away to serve the knights, soldiers, servants, and other occupants of Hyrule Castle their morning meals in the dim light of dawn, before the royal family wakes. A squat, round old woman paces through the ranks of cooks, barking orders. A large blackboard hangs above a long wooden counter, outlining the menus for the day for everyone in the castle from the Royal Family, to the castle guard, to the servants.

"Glad yer highnesses decided to grace us with yer presence this mornin'." The old woman grunts. She resembles a toad with her chubby, jowly face, red, blotchy complexion, and dark beady eyes. "Now get ter work! There will be no breakfast for the tardy."

"Yes, ma'am." Amira and Hadifa mumble, bowing their heads to the old Hylian woman and rushing off to their stations, Amira joining several other women at a large cutting table and Hadifa joining a group of women who were feeding wood to a gigantic cast-iron stove. Amira attempts to ignore her grumbling stomach as she starts chopping a large pile of root vegetables, preparing them for a stew that will be made for the soldiers later that day. It's mindless work and she finds her mind wandering away from thoughts of food to the dream she had been disturbed from, where she had been galloping wild and free across a foreign land.

****

The day is nearly over and sun is beginning to set, turning the cobblestone streets and white walls of Castle Town orange and red. A cloaked figure silently creeps out of a dark passageway emptying out into a deserted side street next to the castle. Once out in the open, the figure drops their hood to reveal a head of thick dark hair and bright blue eyes set in a skinny, long face with high cheekbones and a prominent nose. When she reaches the streets, she moves less cautiously, but when she passes through a sunlit street, any passerby would notice the red tint in her hair and the slight tan in her skin. Her features were enough to distinguish her from most of the occupants of castle town. They were enough to give passerby cause to stare, or worse to comment.

"Hey, girly!" Amira's blue eyes shoot up to see a large barrel-chested Hylian man calling out to her from the threshold of a storefront, sipping ale from a tankard. "A filthy red-headed descendent of thieves like you shouldn't be out here on her own. I might think yer up to somethin'." The man scowls at her but she can see a gleam of distrust and possibly even fear in his eyes. She doesn’t understand why Hylian men are so weary of her people. She certainly means them no harm and doubts any of her friends do either.

She turns away and pulls her hood back over her head, deciding not to comment and picks up her pace. She feels his gaze boring into the back of her head as she rushes away and past the giant fountain in the middle of the town's central square and down the South Road. All around her, merchants are packing up their carts for the day and parents are calling to children playing in the streets, urging them home before the streets are dark.

Most ignore her but some stare.

She slips down an unlit side street and descends a short flight of stairs, finding herself in a dead-end with a single nondescript building. The entrance is sunk in the building's facade. Unaware strangers would not give the place a second thought for on the outside it looks rather cold and unwelcoming.

She opens the wooden door and enters into an entirely different atmosphere from the darkening, empty alley. Loud chatter and the smell of pipe weed and ale float in the thick, warm air in a stark contrast with the crisp autumn night outside. The bar is dimly lit and hazy with smoke but Amira can make out its inhabitants; a smattering of men of all trades. The doctor, farmers, blacksmiths, butchers and a rowdy group of young Hylian soldiers are seated and standing around tables; talking, laughing, gambling, and arguing. Some of the men turn from their conversations to stare at the cloaked newcomer but she ignores them, heading towards the bar. Behind the bar, a tall woman with thick, muscled arms, dark red hair, and tanned skin, pours two large glasses of ale for a pair of local shopkeepers. A white, fluffy cat sits atop the bar, licking a paw and paying the surrounding fanfare no attention. Upon seeing the only other woman in the bar, Amira smiles and rushes up to her, plopping onto a nearby stool. The bartender catches Amira's eye and gives her a warm smile.

"Amira! How is my favorite niece?" The woman greets her warmly, turning from her customers to hug the girl.

"Your only niece you mean? Nothing to report." Amira says. The bartender hands her a frothy pint of ale, which she gratefully accepts. "I slept late again. I had another dream about the desert last night. I swear those dreams make me sleep like the dead...if I'm caught late again I don't know what the head cook will do to me."

"Was it the same dream?" The bartender asks with interest.

"Almost. I was riding on a horse this time and there was a big group of warrior women with me, all shouting and singing. I felt so free and truly happy, like I was in the right place. Every time I have these dreams, they feel strangely familiar. I don't know why I know it's the desert. It's not like we've ever seen it before." Amira takes a deep drink of her ale and looks up at her aunt. "Am I crazy, Telma? What do these dreams mean?"

"That's not for me to say, my child. I'm no fortune teller." The bartender, Telma, says. "But I don't think you're crazy, dear. I asked my friend Kina, the palm reader down the road, about your dreams and she thought they might be closer to memories. Possibly memories passed down from our ancestors who once lived out in the desert hundreds of years ago."

"You mean the Gerudo?" Amira scoffs. "Mother always told me tales of them and their city made of only women with their king, who reincarnated every hundred years. I do believe our people came from the desert hundreds of years ago but the rest of the legends sound like bedtime tales..."

Telma shakes her head as she polishes a glass. "I don't believe they are simply tales, my dear."

"How could there be a city made of only women?" Amira muses. "Don't get me wrong, that would be amazing but why would they need just one man to be their king? Couldn't they just rule themselves? Some people even say he was part demon..."

"Well my dear, have you ever seen any red-headed boys that look like us?" Telma questions. "Every time one of us is with child, it is always a daughter. As for the legends of the king, there are many different tales, some good and some bad. While we may never know if their city was actually made solely of women or if they really had a demonic king, I'm sure the women there must have been strong and beautiful. I certainly see that beauty and strength in you, my dear." Telma reaches out to her niece, lifting her chin with a smile. Amira gives a small smile in return.

"Hey Telma! What can a man do to get some service 'round here?" A man calls out, stumbling into the bar.

"Duty calls! I'll be right back." Telma leaves her niece alone at the other end of the bar while she tends to her customers.

Amira can't stop thinking about all the stories she's heard from her late mother, the other servants in the castle, and random Hylian strangers about her ancestors. There are so many legends about them, many of them wildly based in fear and ignorance. Many Hylians believed the ancient desert tribes were really bands of thieves who had been banished from Hyrule and hid out in the desert, leaving only to plunder the Hylians' hard earned goods. She had been told many times by strangers that the reason why her skin was slightly darker during the summer months was because her criminal ancestors refused to repent for their crimes and their skin darkened as a result of their pent-up dishonesty. Those rumors were the worst and they always made her shake with anger. She had also been told the desert existed due to the mad Gerudo King, whose quest for power and domination over the world turned their homeland into a wasteland. However she also heard good stories about the Gerudo. Her mother and aunt had told stories of the strength and beauty of her ancestors; how they always stuck together in sisterhood and were accomplished warriors who never gave up their freedom to the evil men who would attempt to invade their kingdom.

She's heard so many conflicting stories about her ancestors; it is hard for her to know what's true. As far as she is concerned, most of the stories are fiction. Amira knows she and her family aren't evil and none of the criminals in Castle Town she had ever heard of or met ever looked like her people. She believes who ever her ancestors were; they were probably normal people who looked a little different and simply came to Hyrule seeking a better home. After all, what kind of home is a desert?

Telma returns after a while with a fresh mug of ale, apologizing for having to leave the conversation on such a serious note. She frowns at the far-away look on her niece's face. "What is on your mind, dear?"

"I wish I could be like you someday, Telma." Amira says. "You're in charge of your own place and destiny. I hope I can find a man like Oscar someday. I miss him."

"As do I, my dear." Telma says. "Not a day goes by where I don't think about that man." She smiles. "We had great times together while he was with us, and I owe him all my freedom. Wouldn't have been allowed to run this bar if he hadn't written such a clever will to get around the last king's laws! I'm sure you'll find a good man one day. You're a smart girl with a good head on your shoulders, just like my dear sister. Do you still drink the tea every morning after you lay with a man?"

Amira blushes with embarrassment and rolls her eyes. "Yes of course, Telma! I'm not an idiot!"

"That's my girl." Telma says with a smile. "Now you better be off to bed, young lady before your caught again!"

They say their goodbyes and Amira leaves the bar with her face hidden under her hooded cloak. She sneaks back into the castle and into bed without incident. Luckily the girls she rooms with vouch for her as she often sneaks them out to drink at Telma's bar and meet boys. Sleepy from the alcohol, Amira falls into a deep sleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope the rustiness doesn't show!
> 
> Because I'm a huge nerd and love symbolism, Amira's name has a meaning that wont be revealed till later.   
> Actually this whole story has a crap load of symbolism. I got the idea after recently playing Twilight Princess and reading several LOZ fanfics. I got fed up with the fact that most heroine/hero and love-interest characters are Mary-Sue types, who are for the most part flawless, overwhelmingly "good", and honestly a bit one-dimensional. I wanted to write a story in which the main character has definite flaws and doesn't always act with the best judgement. I am also endlessly fascinated by Ganondorf's character and I think (as do many of us) that there is much more to his character than meets the eye.


	2. Chapter 2

She wakes suddenly to screams.

   
Scrambling out of bed along with the other girls in the room, she looks towards the door with wide eyes. She hears the sounds of running feet and people _shrieking_ and then hears something else; a horrible, blood-curdling, inhuman shriek and the patter of large feet down the hard stone floor of the servants' quarters. Amira's eyes dart over to the frightened girls around her.

   
"W-what was t-t-that?" A younger girl whispers, voice trembling. She is around fourteen years old, one of the youngest girls in the room.

   
"I don't know, Talia..." Amira whispers. "But we have to get out of here."

   
"Yeah right, genius! What ever that _thing_ is, it's right outside the door!" Hadifa whispers furiously, appearing right beside Amira.  
 

"Ok, everyone get in the wardrobes." Amira says, addressing the room as quiet as possible. "And we'll escape when things quiet down." While she was often the last to get out of bed in the morning and often showing up late to her duties, most of the other servants looked up to her for her natural tendency to take charge when situations got out of hand.

   
The twelve women rush on quiet slippers towards the four large wardrobes that they shared to store their belongings. The wardrobes were large enough to fit three women apiece. Just as the last door quietly closes, they hear the knob of the bedchamber door rattle. Then they hear the slow creaking of wood and the sound of snuffling and grunting. There is a loud crash and Amira holds her breath, hearing her companions do the same. Something broke down the door and Amira can hear footsteps. Whatever it is, it's searching their room.

   
She thinks she hears it _sniffing._

   
Amira bites her lip, stifling the scream that's building in her throat as she hears the thing pad closer and that horrible sniffling sound gets louder. It stops suddenly and everything falls quiet. She feels shaking and looks over to Hadifa who's shutting her eyes tight with a hand clamped over her mouth. Giving a final snort, she hears the thing move again, but the steps are getting quieter.

   
It must be moving away.

   
The footsteps fade away and after a beat she hears nothing but a thick, unsettling silence.

   
For a long time, no one moves to open their wardrobe. Taking a deep breath, Amira makes the first move, opening the door of her wardrobe a crack. Nothing. She opens it the rest of the way and gasps at the sight of the splintered remains of the door to the room. Whatever it was that broke in, it was strong. One by one, women cautiously emerge from the wardrobes.

   
"Ok, let's get out of here. Stay close, ladies." Amira says quietly and they all sneak out to the hallway, peering down the corridor. The coast is clear. Amira leads the group towards the kitchens. There is an underground passageway to Castle Town accessible from the cellars. They reach the kitchen without incident and Amira guides them through the dark to the passage entrance. She's snuck down here countless times before without the aid of candlelight to avoid getting caught and doesn't want to risk light now when they seem to be in the midst of some kind of invasion. The tunnels are pitch black however and Amira lights the torch on the wall of the passage entrance, allowing them some light.

   
They descend into the dank tunnels underneath the castle. She is certain these tunnels connect to the sewers because they always seem to be damp and they _stink_. They hear the squeaks of surprised rats and can see their small black bodies scampering out of the way as they move quietly in the dim light of the torch. After nearly half a mile they reach a crossroads. Amira knows to take the tunnel on the right and just as they begin to enter the right-hand passage, the echo of heavier footfalls and sniffing stops them dead in their tracks. One of the women whispers a curse beside her.

   
"Run." Amira whispers.

   
They immediately take off, sprinting down the dark tunnel towards the streets of Castle Town. Amira's blood chills when she hears the monstrous shriek, made deafening in the small tunnel. Their cover blown, the women shriek with fright and run in an all-out panic down the tunnel. She can hear the thing rapidly gaining on them.

   
"Go! Go! GO!" Amira screams, willing herself and the women around her to go _faster_. She hears a scream as someone falls behind her and despite her fear she spins around and grabs Talia's hand, hauling her to her feet. "You have to keep going! Run, Talia!" She urges the younger girl to keep going. They run together, hand in hand. They've already fallen slightly behind the group and Amira refuses to look back at whatever is chasing them.

   
They have to be close to town.

   
She suddenly wonders if the town's any better. Is her aunt safe? How did these monsters take over the castle?

   
Her foot strikes a loose stone and before Amira knows what's happening, she's down. She hits the cold, wet stone _hard_ and her head snaps forward, forehead connecting with the back of someone's shoe. Lights spin in her head and her vision goes black as she plunges into darkness.  


****

In the dark of the tunnel, the monster's black skin is invisible. Its pace slows, giving up the chase on the pack of fleeing women as its focus shifts to the fallen one lying unconscious close by. It creeps forward on human-like arms and legs, except they're too long, too distended with giant splayed hands and feet. It looms over the fallen woman, sniffing with an invisible nose. Its face is hidden behind a strange black mask with no holes for eyes to see out of. Long tentacles wave above and bellow the mask, likely used by the grotesque thing to sense its environment by touch.

  
Odd gurgling noises emit from somewhere underneath its mask as the thing bends closer and closer to the prone figure before it. It then pulls back as if to strike and just before it releases a disgusting maw from the long extension that should be its neck, heavy footfalls echo down the dank tunnel and it freezes. Its masked face whips around an unnatural 180˚ to face the approaching figure; a tremendously tall and broad-shouldered man.

  
"What have you found for me?" The man mumbles in a deep, husky voice. He kneels beside the thing, which sits back on its hind legs like a dog brought to heel, and returns its faceless head to the unconscious woman. The man snaps his fingers and a flame flickers to life over his large black-gloved palm. He moves his hand closer to the woman, lighting up her features and his thick orange eyebrows rise in surprise as he takes in the long tangles of red hair pooled around her in the stinking puddles on the tunnel floor and the slight tan in her skin. He extinguishes the light from his hand and moves to carry her when the humanoid monster emits a low growl. He returns the sound with a gold-eyed glare and an equally chilling growl.

   
"Find another meal. She's mine."

   
The monster cowers and he scoops the woman's limp form into his massive arms and returns the way he came. Back towards Hyrule Castle.

   
"So the Gerudo are not lost after all..." He mutters, looking down at the young face of the woman in his arms. "This changes things."


	3. Chapter 3

_The sun beats down from an infinite blue sky, heating the sunbaked stone buildings of a fortress. Everything is in shades of brown. The red rock of the canyon walls surround the tan walls of the compound protectively and tan sand stretches out as far as the eye can see across the bridge connecting the fortress to the endless desert. Splashes of color stand out strikingly from the monochromatic scene. The sparkling blue of a river cuts through a deep canyon bellow the bridge and flashes of bright color interrupt the dull stone of the fortress in the form of its inhabitants._

_Women stroll through the narrow corridors; tall, strong women with their heads held high, and their fiery red hair twisted into elaborate styles or hidden beneath colorful headscarves. A small band of women ready lithe horses with bags of food and weaponry in a large courtyard in front of the compound. Their brightly colored outfits hold scimitars and bows, and ornate armor plates decorate their arms, chests, and shins. A man emerges from the shadows of the fortress, the only man in the settlement. He is young, no older than twenty, but already holds an impressively tall and muscular frame, towering over the tall women, but his red hair, dark skin and prominent facial features show he is one of the tribe. He readies his own horse, a large dark brown stallion, away from the troupe._

_The man mounts his horse and the others in the group follow suit. He raises his scimitar in the air and the metal catches the sunlight, glittering with the white reflected light. He roars a loud battle cry and urges his stead forward. A chorus of female voices hoot and holler and the sun glints off more raised blades._

_The band gallops across the bridge and out into the blank expanse of sand, shouting and singing songs of victory._

_Suddenly the man flashes into focus and his gold eyes are all she can see, shattering her dream with an intense, knowing gaze._

 

Amira's eyes fly open and she breathes in a sharp, gasping breath. She's lying on something incredibly soft. She raises her head and gasps at the plush blankets and pillows she's lying on. She's on a giant bed, covered in a canopy of silky fabrics. The room she's in is also large and richly decorated with gilded furniture, colorful tapestries and rugs, and a roaring fireplace. She's never been in a room so lavish. She must still be in the castle but _where_?

 

The castle...

 

Memories hit her like a ton of bricks. She remembers going to bed after sneaking out to visit with Telma, being woken up by screams, escaping the castle with her friends, and running from an unseen horror like something out of a nightmare.

 

Was it all a dream? How did she end up in what looked like the room of a princess?

 

_The_ princess?

 

She moves towards the edge of the large bed and tries to stand up. Searing pain stabs her ankle and she wobbles on the weak joint, falling back onto the bed with a groan. She notices she is wearing the plain tan dress she wears when she works, not the slip she remembered changing into for bed. She examines her ankle, which is slightly swollen and red and suddenly remembers tripping in her fearful flight from the monster in the tunnels under the castle. She tries hard to remember more but can't.

 

She hadn't been dreaming.

 

Had that monster brought her here? Was she rescued? She wonders what happened to the rest of the servants, Telma, the town, and the royal family but the click of a lock and the sound of a door opening disrupt the whirlwind of her thoughts and her eyes snap up to meet the intruder. Her blood chills and she feels instantly breathless.

 

A giant of a man approaches the end of the bed she's sitting on. He must be nearly seven feet tall. His skin is dark and his hair is a brilliant red-orange. A jeweled headdress holds the thick coils of hair back from his bearded face and even through his heavy black armor, she can tell he's made of solid muscle and immensely powerful. He looks disturbingly familiar. With a start, Amira remembers the dream she just woke from.

 

He looks nearly identical to the man in her dream, but older, closer to thirty or forty years.

 

The man stills at the end of the bed, crossing his large arms. He studies her with intense golden eyes; eyes identical to those from her dream.

 

"You're awake." He grunts. His voice is deep, but not smooth. It reminds her of smoke.

 

Amira eyes this enormous dark stranger with wary eyes. Why was he in her dream? _How_ was he in her dream? She's never seen this man before. Something in her gut tells her he is dangerous and she begins to scoot away from him towards the tall headboard.

 

"I won't hurt you, girl...as long as you don't represent a threat to my rule." He smirks and it does nothing to ease her nerves.

 

_His_ rule? What?

 

"What do you mean _your_ rule? Who are you?" Amira blurts out in surprise and anger.

 

His expression darkens, a deep frown etching itself into the strong lines of his jaw. "I'm the one asking questions." He says roughly. "And if you value your life, you will cooperate. Now state your name and business in the castle. Judging by your clothes, I'm guessing you are of the lower classes."

 

A spark of irritation flares in her gut. Amira narrows her eyes at the stranger, insulted by that remark. She doesn't like this man, who ever he is, but considering her compromising position and the fact that he looks strong enough to fight a Goron, she realizes she should be civil. "My name is Amira." She says dryly. "I'm just a servant in the castle kitchens. I was fleeing the castle with the rest of the servant quarter last night when I fell behind. We were being pursued by monsters and I would hazard a guess that you're the one responsible."

 

The stranger only gives her a chilling smirk in response. "Amira." He echoes her name back to her in his rumbling voice. "A very Gerudo name. Do you know what it means?"

 

_Gerudo?_

 

Her gaze snaps back up to him again and she examines the man a second time. Tall, muscular build, dark skin, red hair...

 

Red hair.

 

She looks at her own hair, a bit darker but holding the same red tint and looks back up at the stranger with wide eyes. "Who are you?"

 

She remembers her last conversation with Telma about their ancestors and their mysterious lost king. She is overcome with a sinking feeling in her gut. Something in her knows the identity of this man but her mind can't acknowledge it.

 

It's impossible.

 

"Hm. I thought you would have figured that out by now." The man's expression darkens. "Have the descendants of my people truly forgotten me?"

 

It must be him. There's no other explanation.

 

"King Ganondorf." She whispers. She remembers all the dark rumors surrounding the last Gerudo king; that he was a madman, part demon, a user of powerful dark magic...

 

"Indeed."

 

"B-but that's impossible! The legends say you were executed two hundred years ago-"

 

"HA!" Ganondorf interrupts her with a loud bark of a laugh and turns from her, pacing the room in his rage. "And tell me, which legends do you speak of? Legends written down by _Hylians_? They're all _lies_!" He stops at the end of the bed again, gripping the wood frame so hard his knuckles turn almost white. It may be a trick of the light but his pupils look dilated, the black filling up the gold irises until they are barely visible. A dark purple energy seems to be radiating from his enormous, hulking form. "Tell me of these so-called _legends._ What do you know of them?" He commands, breaths coming out in angry pants.

 

"I...I've heard many things from my people and Hylians." Amira begins, eyeing him warily to gauge his reactions. "When I was a child, my mother and many of the elder women told tales of our ancestors who came from the desert. They say we come from a tribe of women who had dark skin and red hair, which is why we look so different from Hylians and have no brothers. My mother always said that's where we get our beauty and strength-" She pauses to study Ganondorf's expression. He seems calmer, or at least his eyes look normal again. With a relieved breath, she continues. "We don't know why our ancestors left the desert but it was around two hundred years ago after you...um...disappeared. Some elders say the oasis near the village dried up and our people were dying of thirst and starvation and that we sought sanctuary in Hyrule. Others say we were captured by Hylian soldiers and brought here as slaves. No one remembers what the war was about anymore and no one really knew what happened to you. Most of the tales say you were...well, mad, or part demon...and that you were executed because you stole something and planned to take over Hyrule." She sees his scowl deepen and the muscles in his thick neck bulge as he clenches his jaw. She mentally prepares for the worst. ~~~~

 

"They say I was mad, do they?" Ganondorf growls. "Mad to do what I must to seek a better life for my people?" He resumes his angry pacing. "We were being suffocated by Hylian oppression. The Hylian _King_ , that inbred rat bastard, wrote us out of trade deals and openly favored the Zora and the Gorons! Was I mad to declare war? To refuse to be treated like some beast? To seek the Triforce to give my people a better life? They say I _stole_ it but the Hylians have no divine claim to the Goddesses favor, no matter what they say!" He slams his fist into the wooden bedframe in his anger and the wood splits apart from the force. The loud cracking noise seems to bring him out of his tirade and he glares at the destroyed wood frame, then his gaze flashes to the half-Gerudo girl before him. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply.

 

"It is no matter now." He says, voice low and still dripping with malice. She doesn't think he's really talking to her at this point, not with that far away look in his oddly gleaming eyes. She wonders if he even remembers she's there. "I have returned, stronger than ever before with divine _power_. The King of Hyrule is dead. I have executed him just as his predecessor attempted to do to me and the princess is imprisoned. Soon the Hylians will tremble before their new master...and the descendants of my people will be soon liberated with the return of their rightful king."

 

His eyes suddenly come into focus and meet hers, gazing penetrating and intensely focused. Amira feels overwhelmed by the force of his immense strength and powerful aura.

 

"Tell me. How many Gerudo live in Hyrule?" He commands. Fortunately the intensity in his gaze diminishes and Amira feels as if a tremendous weight had just been lifted from her, allowing her to breath again.

 

"I...um...I am not sure." She admits. "Most of us live in communal housing on the East Road, separate from the Hylians. I worked with a hundred other Gerudo servants here in the castle and there are several hundred others in the town. Our, um, our numbers are few compared to the other races."

 

Ganondorf's expression is different. Though she isn't sure, Amira would almost say he looks _sad_.

 

"I see." He says quietly, but quick as lightening his expression hardens again and he eyes her with suspicion. "Do you abandon your allegiance to the Hylian royal family and accept me, King Ganondorf Dragmire of the Gerudo, as your rightful lord?"

 

She realizes pledging her allegiance to him is her only real option save death and makes a silent vow to herself to discover his true motives for overtaking Hyrule and the real reasons for his banishment centuries ago. In the meantime, she supposes she can continue as she had before, just under a new master.

 

Resigned, she bows her head. "Yes, my lord."

 

"A wise choice." Ganondorf says gruffly. Then he moves to the side of the bed where she sits. Suddenly his hand flashes out, grabbing her wrist and holding it up. "What are you doing?!" She cries, attempting to pull away.

 

"Ensuring your loyalty." He growls and the back of his hand begins to glow. Three triangles light up with the top one glowing brightest. Her forearm is burning hot and she yelps in pain, watching with horror as glowing blue marks write themselves into her skin.

 

He lets go abruptly and she pulls her burning arm into her chest protectively. Slowly the blue light fades, leaving red scars in the shape of strange shapes. Though she can't understand them, they resemble runes.

 

Ganondorf stoops down to her level, gripping her chin in his large gloved hand. His wrathful golden eyes inches from hers. "Even though you share the blood of my people, I cannot take you for your word yet." His voice is quiet, yet cold, chilling her blood. "This spell provides...insurance. If you attempt to leave the castle, I will know. And believe me when I say I am not merciful with traitors. Do you understand, girl?"

 

Amira nods weakly, doing everything in her power to not tremble in front of the menacing long-lost king of the Gerudo. Seemingly satisfied, Ganondorf pulls back, standing up to his full impressive height.

 

"Since you served the Hylian royalty as a cook you will continue your duties under my rule. The realm I was banished to separated me from my...human form. My return required me to take bodily form once again and I unfortunately require sustenance again." His nose wrinkles at the mention of food as if the mere idea of it is offensive to him. "You will be serving myself and will be in charge of my subordinates who feed my army. The Bulbin and Bokoblin tribes have allied with me and those who are not on duty will aid you in keeping the castle. As for me, I will take my meals twice a day in the library alone. I do not require anything elaborate."

 

Amira breathes a sigh of relief and nods, accepting her new role. At least not much about her position had changed, except she is now in charge of something, which is an opportunity she would have never had otherwise. She didn't think her life could get any more bizarre.

 

Ganondorf turns to leave, but just before disappearing out the door he pauses and Amira notices an odd expression on his face. "You can stay where ever you like in the castle." He says. "I see no need for you to reside in the servants quarters or wear the garb the Hylians required of you. The whole castle will be open to you." His gaze lingers on her for a moment and then he is gone. The door shuts softly in his wake.


	4. Chapter 4

Amira sits in the princess' room for a long time. She needs time to just sit and think and process everything that just happened. She examines her forearm, running her fingers over the red scars of mysterious runes and tends to her sprained ankle, tearing one of the silk cloths of the bed's canopy and using it to wrap the swelling, keeping it compressed.

 

 _The whole castle will be open to you_.

 

No one had given her that much freedom before. She didn't know what to do with it. She feels very uncomfortable with the idea of staying in the princess Zelda's room, with the young princess imprisoned somewhere in the castle so she decides to return to the servants' quarters. It is familiar after all and after her encounter with the terrifying long lost king of her ancestors, Amira feels a sudden desperate need for something familiar and comforting.

 

There is a sudden pang in her chest at that thought. It feels as if her world were suddenly turned upside down. She feels so alone. Amira doubts there is anyone left alive in the castle other than her, the princess, and Ganondorf.

 

And his monsters.

 

She shivers at the thought of them.

 

With a heavy sigh, she tries standing again. Her sprain still throbs but her ankle feels stable enough with the wrap. She moves with a slight limp but it's manageable and she leaves the ornate room, stepping out into a wide corridor with doors leading to more rooms set with the letter Z in gold platting.

 

 _This whole wing must belong to the princess_. She thinks. She has never been to the upper floors of the castle before, but knows she must be somewhere in the west wing where the rooms belonging to the royal family are housed. Her duties confined her to the kitchens and halls of the lower floor, and she never explored much of the castle because the guards had a penchant for harassing the servant women and were practically immune to repercussion.

 

As she navigates the wide hallways, she notices large tapestries on the walls. They depict scenes from battles, incarnations of the Goddesses, and ancient legends. Some show familiar stories while others are unknown to her. She makes a mental note to come back here another time and explore.

 

She passes by a window and pauses, realizing she actually has no idea what time or day it is. How long has she been unconscious? The large window on the second level gives her views of the whole castle grounds and into the town a little ways. Everything looks the same at first glance but the light is odd. Dim orange light like dusk or dawn glows dully and black clouds hang heavily overhead. The clouds are unnaturally dark, darker than even the thunderheads that sweep over Hyrule in the stormy months of early spring. While the light is similar to the light at dusk or dawn, it lacks the beauty and variation in colors of a true sunset or sunrise. It's a rather lackluster and melancholy sky.

 

Suddenly a large black shape flashes across the window and Amira jumps back in surprise. It's a gigantic black bird. Its wingspan must be ten feet across and its long tail and neck sag down as it soars through the castle grounds. It doesn't have a head, but a circle of feathers at the top of its neck round a horrifying black and red void.

 

"What is that?" She gasps to herself. She hopes it doesn't count as a part of Ganondorf's army she'll have to deal with.

 

Shaken and confused, she pulls her gaze away from the window, continuing down the long corridors. She sees an opening up ahead that looks like the top of the giant staircase that leads to the upper floors from the great hall. Walking as quickly as her limp allows, she hastens towards the stairway ahead until a familiar shriek brings her to a sudden stop.

 

She whips around and a scream rips from her throat when she sees the horror before her.

 

A large _thing_ crouches on all fours, standing in the middle of the hall back towards the princess' rooms. Goddess knows how long it's been following her. It is disturbingly humanoid in appearance except the arms are too long and the legs are too short. A long neck holds up a masked face with no openings for a mouth nor eyes. It raises its featureless face upwards and Amira's blood chills when she hears a disturbingly familiar sniffing sound.

 

This must be the monster that chased her in the tunnels.

 

Remembering that it's likely blind, she begins to back away, as carefully and silently as she can. The monstrous black thing keeps sniffing and pacing down the hallway in no particular direction, possibly looking for her scent again. She keeps backing up, afraid to take her eyes off of it.

 

Suddenly her foot catches on a loose stone and her body hits the floor with a dull thud.

 

She sees its masked face snap to her direction. It lets loose another shriek and ambles towards her in a jerky run.

 

It's approaching _fast_.

 

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit!" Amira shrieks, scrambling away from the fast-approaching monster on arms and legs but the thing is too quick and it's on her in less than a minute.

 

A giant red maw opens from what should be its neck. Amira screams in disgust and fright as it prepares to end her life with a strike-

 

She feels warmth spread through her left arm and the monster freezes mid-attack. Amira jerks her head away from the monster to her arm, which is glowing an icy blue. The runes Ganondorf had carved into her arm with his magic are emitting the brilliant blue light and the monster seems to be affected by it.

 

Emboldened, Amira raises her arm at the monster, brandishing it like a weapon. The monster shrieks and scampers back, finally turning tail and running the other way.

 

"Yeah that's right! You better run!" Amira shouts after the retreating thing as she struggles to stand back up on her smarting ankle.

 

Eventually, Amira makes it to the servants' quarters. She's struck by how silent and empty and dark the windowless hallways are. There are belongings strewn around the halls, left by fleeing servants on the night of the invasion and when Amira finds her room, she nearly breaks down at the sight of the empty beds and the belongings left behind by her bunk mates and friends. She doesn't know why she expected to see everyone here as if nothing happened.

 

Amira feels a crushing loneliness at the sight of the abandoned sleeping quarters. It's cold, dark, and the room is so large and empty. She feels a wave of anxiety rush through her as she realizes she cannot bare the thought of living here anymore. She can't wake up seeing Hadifa's empty bed with her nightstand covered in love letters from her admirers or Talia's messy, un-made covers; reminders of dear friends who might not be alive. She falls down on her old bed, relieving her poor ankle and feels her composure crumbling. Not caring anymore, she lets herself cry in her grief and terror.

 

*****

 

She now stands over a pan of sizzling bacon and eggs. The clock in the kitchens say it's near six in the morning. She hasn't slept at all. It is hard to get a sense of time in this odd perpetual twilight.

 

She wonders if it has something to do with Ganondorf.

 

He's a strange man, she thinks. She hasn't seen him since their first encounter the previous day and wonders what he could be up to. As intimidating and ruthless as he was, Ganondorf was still the rightful leader of her people. She had always been curious about her people's history. The remaining descendants of the Gerudo have been disconnected from the history of their families, having left behind much of their cultural knowledge in the desert. Most know little of their old culture despite clinging to a few traditions they no longer knew the meaning of. She finds herself insatiably curious about him, and about the lives of her ancestors in the desert.

 

She moves the fried eggs and bacon onto a plate and covers it to keep the heat. She loads a cart with plates of eggs, bacon, biscuits, honey and a pot of tea. He told her he didn't require anything elaborate but she didn't want to take him too literally either. She's hoping she can win his trust and confidence eventually and besides, she can't bare the thought of not putting effort into her work.

 

She reaches the royal library and the doors are closed. She wonders if she should knock. She raises her hand to do so when she hears Ganondorf's gruff voice through the door. "Come in."

 

A little un-nerved, she opens the door and sees his large form looming over a long table covered in books and papers. He's bending over a map, alternating focus between the map and an ancient leather-bound book. She approaches him as silently as she can on her recovering ankle. It's still sprained, causing her to limp slightly, but is feeling miles better than it had the day before.

 

"Your breakfast, my lord." She says quietly. She feels extremely awkward, especially given their tense meeting the day before. Serving was not typically delegated to, well, non-Hylians. Her expertise lied in preparing the meals, not serving them to royalty. He looks up from the mess before him and eyes the food, wrinkling his large nose.

 

"Just...leave it there." He grumbles. He looks hard at the food as if it's something he has forgotten and is trying to remember what to do with it.

 

"Yes, sir." Amira says and bows slightly, thinking that would be the right thing to do. "Um, will you need anything else?"

 

"No."

 

"Y-yes, my lord." She sets the steaming plates on a nearby table that's uncluttered and feels heat in her face when she realizes he's watching her.

 

"You're limping." He remarks. The idea of her injury seems to anger him.

 

"It's just a sprain. I'm managing." She says quickly, confused by his concern for her.

 

"Sit," She hears him say.

 

"I, um, what?"

 

"Sit."

 

Puzzled, she finds a stool and sits, sighing with relief after taking weight off her ankle. Her eyes never leave him as he moves towards her and kneels in front of her. She gasps when he abruptly grabs the injured ankle without warning, holding it up. He isn't looking anywhere else, but she feels unnerved with him so close. The back of his hand glows again and she feels heat on her skin, but it isn't unpleasant. It's similar to the warmth the spell on her arm created when it repelled that monster. She feels a pleasant warmth radiate throughout her injured ankle and feels pressure release as the swelling goes down. When the glowing of his hand subsides, she can see her ankle looks normal again. He lets go abruptly and moves back to his work with neither glance or comment. She rolls her ankle, stretching it, and stands on it experimentally. No pain.

 

Amira thanks him and he only grunts in response. She leaves the library quickly, trying to not feel hurt that the breakfast she made him is still sitting untouched and rapidly cooling on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is pretty slow to build but some actual plot is going to happen soon! I've been enjoying writing the twilight monster scenes and Ganon's awkward ass a little too much. :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m on my third glass of cider so I thought it'd be a good time to post another chapter.

_Bells jingle and drums sound out a rhythmic beat as figures dance around a roaring fire in the cold desert night._

_She's standing in a ring of Gerudo women who are clapping and stomping their feet in time to the heavy beat, gold bangles jingling off their wrists. A small group dances and moves gracefully around the fire; some twirling with scarves and some swaying with bells attached to the hips of loose-fitting, brightly colored pants that jingle as they move. Women enter and leave the ring, weaving in and out of the circle as they choose. The beat of the drum speaks to something in her soul and now she finds herself dancing with the beautiful dark skinned women in the center. Their golden, kohl lined eyes and red painted lips smile at her when she joins them and she lets her mind go and heart align to the beat of the drums and the jingle of bells, feeling completely free under the star filled sky._

Amira wakes to that odd flat orange light and for a moment she just lays still, staring up at the ceiling. When she dreamed of the desert before she used to always have the same dream but they've been different recently.

 

Ever since Ganondorf took over the castle.

 

It's been a fortnight since the castle was overtaken and the world became shroud in permanent twilight. After that one sleepless night in the servants' quarters, Amira found a new room and moved her few possessions.

 

She sighs and decides to get up.

 

This room is modestly sized and while its comfortably furnished, it isn't lavish like the princess' rooms. There is a clock standing in the corner, which currently reads four in the morning, a small writing desk stacked with scrolls and a bookshelf, leading Amira to believe it had been owned by one of the scribes or clerics that served the late King Daphnes.

 

The previous occupant was also a man.

 

Remembering Ganondorf's odd remark that she didn't have to wear her servant's clothes, Amira had tried on some of the trousers and shirts out of curiosity. The man was evidently skinny and Amira was roughly the height of the average Hylian male so she had found much to her surprise that the pants fit her and were much more light and comfortable than skirts and a dress. She had altered some of the shirts to a style she preferred and had been wearing men's clothes for the past week. She was unbelievably self-conscious and nervous at first about the thought of Ganondorf catching her wearing trousers. A woman dressing in men's clothes is absolutely unheard of in Hyrule and borderline scandalous. However Ganondorf only looked her up and down and gave a shrug, turning back to his work without comment.

 

She moves to the washbasin and the dresser and gazes out the window at the perpetual black clouds and orange light as she dresses. The monsters she glimpses milling around the grounds or soaring through the air no longer alarm her. Many of them are still aggressive towards her but Ganondorf's spell seems to keep them at bay.

 

When she enters the kitchen on these early mornings, the fires are already roaring in their hearths and bulbins and bokoblins are scurrying in and out of the massive kitchen with freshly slaughtered livestock, butchering the carcasses and throwing the chunks of meet, bone, and entrails into a soup pot so large it could hold a full grown horse. The pungent scent of cooking flesh and the sight of the bloody remains of carcasses first thing in the morning is something Amira doesn't think she'll ever get used to.

 

She had never been in full charge of a kitchen before. In her old role as a mere servant, she found no enjoyment cooking. She was always one of many, doing mindless tasks such as chopping meats and vegetables, stoking the furnace fires and fetching water, constantly under supervision and scrutiny from a Hylian superior. But in the past two weeks she has come to find a certain peace and calm in cooking and has developed a creative eye in her culinary creations. She now eagerly explores new recipes and takes liberties and risks, to varying levels of success, and she loves it. As a servant she never knew how it felt to challenge herself, to push her limits and _improve_ at her work. In fact, though she is sworn to Ganondorf she has stopped thinking of herself as a mere servant.

 

Amira moves through the crowded kitchen, much more at ease than she had been a week before. It took Ganondorf's minions several days to get used to Amira's presence. They've stopped trying to attack her on sight and occasionally one of the few Bublins that can speak Hylian will talk to her.

 

Amira has learned a lot about the Bulbins and Bokoblins during her first two weeks in Ganondorf's service. She learned they make their home in the desert wastelands and centuries ago they had allied with the Gerudo in their war against the Hylians. According to Grun, the general Bulbin she passed orders to most often, Hylian nobles have hunted Bublins for sport for as long as their tribes remember.

 

It is difficult for her to communicate with them at times. Their cultures are very different from Hylians. The bulbins are a war-oriented people. Even during times of peace, there is an orderly military structure to their villages. The Bokoblins seem to be a little more disorganized. They remind her of strange children in a way, always dancing and shrieking around a great bonfire at night. She finds herself feeling incredibly guilty at times. She had always thought of these people as monsters, as evil beings who were less than human, but after witnessing them talk amongst themselves in their guttural languages and working alongside them, she realized they are people. Just like her and all the races of Hyrule. She was surprised to hear that Ganondorf had actually sought them out as allies upon his return and seemed to be one the only people outside their races who took the time to learn their language and customs.

 

When she enters the library with the Gerudo king's breakfast, she is no longer nervous like she was weeks before, stepping through the door and approaching the large Gerudo with familiarity. In the past two weeks, his appetite seems to have slowly improved and while he is still often short with her and quick to anger, he has slowly become more amicable. 

 

"Good morning!" She greets him with a smile, setting his coffee on the table. Straight black coffee without sugar or milk. He only grunts in response, eyeing her with worn, tired eyes. Amira notices with amusement that his hair is slightly ruffled and his cloak lies in a rumpled mess on the floor. He typically functions better after his first cup of coffee.

 

"Did you sleep well last night?" She has recently tried small talk with him. Sometimes it works and she gets some conversation from him. Other times it doesn't and she only gets a growl or a rude comment in return, but she keeps at it.

 

"Sleep is a word for it." He grumbles. She thinks he must suffer from insomnia. He never seemed to report a good night of sleep.

 

"I know a tea that helps with sleeplessness. I can bring you some with supper tonight, if you wish."

 

Ganondorf gives a small crooked smile at that. "That will not be necessary."

 

He turns back to his work and an overwhelming sense of curiosity makes her bend over the table to peak at his writing. His penmanship is surprisingly neat and delicate she thinks, the quill looking small and fragile in his large hand, though she cannot decipher the words.

 

He notices her staring and she jerks back when his gold eyes meet her blue ones, heart pounding fast as she awaits his anger.

 

"Can you read?" He asks and his voice is surprisingly calm.

 

Taken off guard by the lack of a reprimand or moody glare, she stutters a moment before she can form words. "N-No...I cannot." She looks away, feeling embarrassed in front of the King. She can't think of a servant who can. Some of her people can read, like the fortunetellers and palm readers, but most don't have the opportunity to be properly educated. Only the Hylian merchants and nobility can afford to hire tutors.

 

"You shall learn then." He says it so simply and with such finality. Amira can't hide her surprise.

 

"You can't be serious?" She asks incredulously.

 

"Do you not wish to learn?" His broad, expressive mouth pulls down in a frown and his brow knits.

 

"No! I do wish to learn. I am just...surprised. Thank you."

 

"To read is to gain knowledge, and knowledge is power." Ganondorf says, turning back to his work. "I am sure you will be surprised to know my people were quite studious. We had a vast library in the fortress, open to all. No Gerudo was illiterate."

 

Amira is surprised. "Wow, I had no idea." She admits. She wonders why the Gerudo's tradition of literacy stopped. "I do not mean to offend you my lord, but most Hylians say we're descendants of thieves. Is...is that true?"

 

Ganondorf is quiet for a long moment. The scratching of his quill ceases and Amira can't tell if he's angry or saddened by her question. "We did what we had to, to make a home in the desert." He mutters and his eyes have that unfocused look as if staring at something far off. "The Hylians know not what it is like to live in a dead land. They whine and call us thieves but they do not realize how wasteful they are...how much they have."

 

"Do you miss them, your people?" Amira asks softly. She is worried she crossed a line asking the king such a personal question but he had never talked with her so long before and the question left her lips before she could censor herself.

 

"Yes." The sorrow in his voice makes her heart ache. Then something shifts in his demeanor and his eyes narrow and darken. Any shred of civility he formerly possessed is now gone and he tears his gaze away from her with a grunt and picks up the quill, returning to his work. "And now I am missing my work. Your lessons begin tomorrow morning. That will be all."

 

"Yes of course, my lord." Amira bows and turns to leave, noticing the heavy silence in the absence of the quill's scratching. She feels his gaze heavy on her back as she leaves the library.

 

******

 

While her mornings start early and are rather hectic, Amira's afternoons are quite calm. Ganondorf has never requested a noon meal and the castle is often empty and quiet with his army out on patrols or raids. She has taken a liking to exploring the castle, something she had never been allowed to do before. By now she has explored the grounds thoroughly. She discovered the royal gardens, the armory and training areas for the Hylian soldiers, and she even found an old cemetery. It is raining today however, so she decides to return to the upper floors and the rooms of the royal family. She returns to the princess's rooms, gazing at the large hanging tapestries lining the hall. Most contain a single story or scene but as she approaches the princess's rooms, one whole section of wall seems to tell a single story over multiple tapestries.

 

The first one she encounters depicts a battle. On one side of the woven tapestry, the Hylian army rides on white horses, metal armor shining with light as they charge into battle through grass fields. Above them, smiling benevolently, is the golden-haired goddess, Hylia. She raises a glowing golden blade in one hand and holds the other hand up in blessing. On the other side, there is a barren wasteland and an army of dark-skinned women on black horses, brandishing scimitars. They look wild and barbaric, with un-kept red hair, wild yellow eyes, and pointed teeth. She realizes this must depict the war between the Hylians and Gerudo that occurred two hundred years ago. Obviously the Hylians believed themselves to be on the right side of the conflict in the eyes of the Goddesses.

 

The contrast in depictions of the Hylians and Gerudo bothers Amira immensely. Hot anger coils in her gut at the unfair depiction of her ancestors and with it an ache of helplessness and sorrow. In her visions her people are vibrant, beautiful and strong. They were survivors. But this is what Hyrule thinks of the Gerudo. This is the limit of their understanding and there is nothing she feels she could do to change their minds.

 

The next tapestry shows what looks like a temple. A domed, circular room with walls of stained glass surrounds a young boy clad in green, who stands at the center. He grips a glowing sword in one hand, looking up at its glory with a round, youthful face and wide, innocent blue eyes. There's a pedestal with a slot on the floor at his feet as if he had just drawn the blade from that spot. Around the scene is a beautiful border of gnarled roots and vines and a familiar shape is stitched in gold.

 

It looks just like the shape on the back of Ganondorf's left hand. The three triangles that glows every time he performs magic....

 

Amira traces the woven symbol with her fingers. In that moment she recalls seeing it on Hyrule's banners, above the head of the golden bird. What does it mean?

 

She files her questions away in her mind. Maybe once she knows how to read she will be able to investigate this odd symbol and the reason it appears in connection with Hyrule, this boy and, strangest of all, Ganondorf.

 

She slowly moves down the hall, examining the next tapestries. The next few show the green clad boy and a young girl dressed in fine clothes (the princess at the time?) all over the world. There is a scene of them speaking with the Zora royalty in their watery palace, one with the Goron Chief at Death Mountain, one of them in a dark forest with a green clad child similar to the boy, and in the desert with a Gerudo woman.

 

Amira pauses at this last one, mouth falling open in silent surprise at the uncanny familiarity of the place and the woman. It's just like the fortress in her dreams. A tall woman with a glowing jewel on her forehead and gold, ruby studded jewelry over her chest and arms stands with the Hylian children outside the fortress. Amira thinks she's seen this women appear in her dreams, somewhere among the other women in the background, but always there. Amira shivers, suddenly feeling cold. She has a gut feeling that this woman is important.

 

The next one shows what looks to be a trial. It's a court and seven imposing stone chairs tower over the proceedings, filled with the Hylian King, members from each race in Hyrule, and a white haired woman with red eyes. In the middle, a massive figure is chained. Amira recognizes the man's dark skin, red hair, and black clothing. This must be Ganondorf's sentencing.

 

The next tapestry is a happy one. It shows Hyrule castle and the town decorated in brightly colored flags and crowded with celebrating citizens. The royal family is depicted standing around what looks to be princess Zelda, or one of her predecessors, and the green-clad youth, holding the glowing sword between them. Again the Goddess Hylia is smiling in the sky above her people.

 

Amira steps away from the woven tapestries. She can't help but think this depiction of the war and legends, this version of events from history, are missing something. None of it is surprising, really. This was essentially what she was taught about the war between the Hylians and Gerudo. This is what everyone was taught. That the Gerudo were desert barbarians and thieves, their king stole something important, a child hero stopped them, and the Gerudo King was put to trial and executed. She already knew some of the written history was inaccurate. Obviously Ganondorf was not killed. He is here now, alive and vengeful, claiming to have been unjustly banished. He claims the Gerudo did what they had to, to survive their harsh, unforgiving homeland. She knows the descendants of the Gerudo are not evil, nor are they thieves.

 

There is something these tapestries are keeping secret.

 

_The princess is imprisoned._

 

Amira suddenly remembers Ganondorf letting that fact slip in his tirade about his revenge on the royal family. She feels a sudden, strong urge to find the princess and talk to her. Perhaps Princess Zelda knows more about Hyrule's history and Ganondorf. Amira has heard tales throughout the kingdom of the princess Zelda's wisdom. She fears the idea of Ganondorf catching her investigating him, but she also can't shake the notion that she _needs_ to do this.

 

She needs to figure out what really happened two hundred years ago to help Hyrule, to help her people, and maybe to help Ganondorf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If y'all have any thoughts or constructive criticisms, feel free to comment. I'm definitely receptive to feedback!


	6. Chapter 6

That evening Amira stands before the large stove in the castle kitchens yet again, her mind still wandering through the castle halls she explored that afternoon.

 

Where could the princess be kept?

 

Amira considers the dungeons. She's never been down there before and isn't sure where she would find the entrance, but she knows that's where Hyrule's prisoners are usually kept. She decides she will look for them tomorrow.

 

She turns her focus back to the meal she's preparing. The cold rain that day made her think of the warm comfort of soup. She's making a pumpkin stew. Squashes are a staple in Hyrule, as they grow gigantic in the temperate climate and keep well. Once the pot reaches a steady boil, she pulls away to check on the bread, which is baking in the oven. She smiles at the fresh, yeasty smell and the sight of the golden brown crust.

 

Amira's thoughts wander again as she prepares plates and a garnish for the stew while it simmers. She wonders what Ganondorf is up to. Why does he spend so many hours in the library reading and writing? Some days she returned to the library a few times throughout the afternoon to see if he was there and found the massive room empty. So it seemed he was only there in the morning and at night. She wonders if he sleeps there. It would certainly explain why he looks so disheveled and tired in the mornings.

 

She returns to the soup pot and stirs in the parsley as a final step. She ladles the piping hot stew into a large serving bowl and promptly covers it. The cart is set with the fresh bread, stew, and wine. She's noticed the Gerudo King's fondness for Hylian wines. He has her bring a bottle every evening and she finds it empty every morning, regardless if the food is eaten or not.

 

On Amira's way to the library with a laden cart of food, she notices the rug outside the library doors is tracked with large muddy footprints. When she enters, she finds Ganondorf standing before the fireplace in the center of the large room; his sodden cloak draped over the back of a chair and gloves hanging on the mantle. His gold eyes stare vaguely into the flickering flames as if deep in thought.

 

"Supper is ready, my lord." Amira speaks softly, not wanting to startle the man.

 

He doesn't seem to hear her. Amira shifts her gaze to his hands, which are fiddling with something. A flat object sits in his large brown hands. It flashes red occasionally, reflecting the light of the fire as he turns it over and over. One edge is smooth and curved while the other is jagged as if it's a piece of something.

 

"My lord." Amira repeats, speaking slightly louder. Golden eyes jerk away from the fire and the object is immediately tucked out of sight. Amira gestures to the cart laden with food and wine. "Your supper."

 

Ganondorf nods, eyes still holding that far away look. “I had forgotten the time." He mutters, seeming to still be partially distracted. "Thank you, Amira."

 

It's the first time Amira has heard him address her by name since their first meeting and the first time he has properly _thanked_ her for anything. The direct address and his thanks take her off guard slightly and she tries not to enjoy how his deep voice carries her name.

 

"It's my duty, sir. No need to thank me." She watches as he sits at a table near the fire and serves himself a bowl of the steaming stew. She shifts uncomfortably. He hasn't formally dismissed her and simply leaving isn't proper etiquette. He eyes her from his seat.

 

"Have you eaten?" He asks and the odd question catches her off guard.

 

"Um, no I usually eat after serving you." Amira says, unsure of where he's going with this.

 

Something in his expression seems to relax and Ganondorf gives a small crooked smile. "Then you shall dine with me tonight." He says and pushes out a chair to his right.

 

Amira is surprised by the invitation, but she sits in the offered chair without comment. Ganondorf turns back to his meal and Amira serves herself, feeling small in his massive presence. She tries hard to use her best table manners, hoping not to offend the Gerudo King by her much lower class. She wonders what could have possibly possessed him to want to eat with her, however his motives remain a mystery as always.

 

Ganondorf remains silent for the entire meal with that distracted, far away look in his eyes, so Amira refrains from asking the hundreds of questions currently festering unaddressed in her mind. She occasionally looks up to marvel at the endless rows of towering bookshelves, holding hundreds of thousands of books she doesn't understand. She remembers Ganondorf's promise to teach her how to read the next morning and silently wonders what it will be like to understand all those old books. She wonders what secrets they hold.

 

******

 

"Not quite. Hold the quill between your fore finger, middle and thumb like this."

 

Ganondorf holds a quill, delicately balanced between his large fingers. Amira tries again with hers. He says she's close but the pen feels so awkward in her hand. It's different than how she's held any other tool and the muscles in her palm cramp and spasm with effort when she attempts to hold the quill steadily in this way to write.

 

"Try writing the Hylian alphabet again. Copy this." Ganondorf pushes a chart in front of her with the Hylian alphabet spelled out. He had explained the concept of letters to her already, the roles of vowels and consonants, how they combine to form words. It all made sense to her in theory, reminding her of a recipe.

 

But it is a little harder in practice.

 

Ganondorf leaves her to memorize the Hylian alphabet and to practice writing the runes over and over again until she's mastered them. He turns back to his work; another map of Hyrule. He's making marks on this one all over the country in random places and keeps pulling out the reflective shard in his coat pocket. She tries not to think about it too hard and keeps practicing.

 

Amira isn't sure of the time but it must be close to the early afternoon. She had served Ganondorf breakfast, was again invited to dine with him, and started her lesson soon after. Much to her surprise, he has been unexpectedly patient with her and is a remarkably good teacher.  

 

They work quietly in the library together for a long while. Though he doesn't talk much, Amira feels comfortable in his presence. Over the past few weeks they seem to have reached a companionable coexistence. At times she pulls away from memorizing and practicing letters to study the Gerudo, standing over the map a table over. While he is still intensely focused on his work, he seems more relaxed since they had dinner the night before. She thinks he must be incredibly lonely. To be banished for two hundred years and return to the world with no living family or friends...Amira can't imagine what Ganondorf had gone through emotionally upon his return.

 

Ganondorf's eyes suddenly flick over to meet hers. Mortified to be caught staring, Amira jerks her gaze back down her parchment and resumes practicing. She thinks she hears a low, quiet chuckle.

 

She hears his footsteps come closer and soon feels a massive presence beside her.

 

"How is your practice going?" He asks softly, bent low over her shoulder so his cheek is nearly touching hers. She is acutely aware of her heart hammering in her chest and how it suddenly feels hard to breathe.

 

"It's going well." She replies, trying hard to appear calm and unaffected by his closeness. "I feel like my right hand is about to fall off but it's getting much easier to hold the quill."

 

"Good." He says, moving away. "I will be away for a few days but during that time, I urge you to continue to practice writing. I expect you to have the entire Hylian alphabet memorized by the time I return. I will leave sentences for you to copy as well."

 

"I thought you were teaching me how to read." Amira replies teasingly as she massages her aching hand. To her surprise he chuckles.

 

"You can't understand the written word until you master it." He says, moving back to the map. There is still no anger in his voice or demeanor that Amira can detect. In fact he sounds like he's in a rare good mood.

 

"Where are you going?" She implores, insatiably curious. His wet clothes and the odd object he had with him last night were her only evidence that he ever left Hyrule Castle.

 

Her heart sinks when she sees his expression darken. "My affairs are none of your business." Ganondorf says curtly. He is tense again and Amira can tell he's walling her off. She's surprised at how much his change in mood hurts her.

 

"And I am quite busy with my preparations. You are dismissed." He says coldly, and leaves the table to browse the bookshelves, turning his back towards her.

 

"Y-yes, my lord. I'm sorry." Amira says quietly, taken aback. She gathers plates on the cart along with her stack of parchment and the scrolls Ganondorf had given her to study and leaves the library as quickly as she can. She thinks she hears him curse to himself when she shuts the door.

 

Amira tries to swallow the lump growing in her throat as she moves quickly through the halls back to the kitchens. She doesn't know why she feels so frustrated and hurt. Ganondorf is the new King of Hyrule and though he invited her to eat with him twice and took it upon himself to teach her how to read, she realizes it was foolish of her to think he wanted or needed her friendship.

 

This empty castle is just so _lonely._

 

Amira's heart aches and she thinks of her aunt, Telma, and her friends in Castle Town. She misses them terribly and wishes she could scrub Ganondorf's spell from her arm so she could escape the castle even for one day to see her family.

 

Then she thinks of the princess, Zelda, who's also alone in this silent castle, being kept prisoner against her will. Amira realizes with Ganondorf gone she will have the perfect opportunity to search for her.

 

Hopefully they can help each other.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to make this chapter really long but I decided to split it into two. 
> 
> As always, feel free to leave a comment and if you have any critiques or ideas!

For the next two days, Amira devotes the entirety of her free time to searching for the princess.

 

It took her nearly a full day to find the dungeons. She became lost twice before she finally discovered the guardrooms and to her dismay she had no luck finding the entrance there. The dungeons were ultimately found behind an unassuming door at the end of a hallway, at the bottom of a long, narrow set of damp stone stairs.

 

Amira nearly retched at the horrid stink that assaulted her nose. The dungeons were made up of a confusing web of passages with a trench down the middle and the cells up on narrow walkways. The trenches were mostly dry but the dark pools of liquid at the bottom and the unbelievable stink told her that the castle sewers run through here as well.

 

It was dark down there as well and Amira was grateful she had thought to bring a torch and flint.

 

She had lost track of time as she searched the rank passages, peering into every cell, but she must have spent hours down there. All the cells were empty, with the only souls she encountered being the multitudes of rats (enormous, fat rats), and the occasional monster, both of which ignored her.

 

Amira left the dungeons after what must have been several hours with damp, stinking clothes and hair and no princess.

 

At the end of that first day after a very thorough bath, Amira enters the cold, empty library to search for a map of the castle. With no luck in the dungeons, she feels at a total loss as to where the princess could be imprisoned.

 

Feeling overwhelmed at the sheer amount of books and scrolls and the fact that she can't yet read any of them, Amira takes a moment to calm the anxiety in her chest and to remember where she saw Ganondorf going to retrieve maps and scrolls. She thinks it was the third shelf from the fireplace and with a breath of relief discovers she was correct. Most of this shelf is divided into small cubic dividers, each one holding a scroll. Frustrated that she can't read the labels, she begins pulling out scroll after scroll, checking each one for a map of the castle.

Nearly at her wits end, she finally finds a map detailing the entirety of the castle grounds and the contents of the upper floors.

 

Amira spreads the large parchment across a table and scans the map, wheels turning in her mind. There are several towers and battlements arranged around the central tower, which contains the throne room. There are four main towers closest to the central pinnacle and a hunch tells Amira she should investigate them next. She rolls up the map and takes it with her back to her room. She needs to figure out how to access the towers before attempting her expedition this time to avoid a repeat of today's confusion. She doesn't know how much time she'll have before Ganondorf returns and thinks he'll likely kill her if he catches her speaking with the princess.

 

*****

 

_Viscous winds whip a million grains of sand at the slow moving procession._

_A line of women and horses numbering in the thousands trudges across the barren wasteland towards a rocky canyon. These women are clearly suffering; dark faces gaunt and steps weak from lack of food and water. One of the women drops out of the line and sinks into the sand, bending over her bulging belly in exhaustion. The passing women stop to help her to her feet._

_"You have to keep moving, Jora!" A tall woman with a jewel on her forehead shouts through the relentless wind. "Hyrule will have plenty of green pastures and water for you and your child! Think of your baby!"_

_Jora steals her jaw and nods, allowing her sisters to help her onto a cart being pulled by worn, half-starved horses. A torn red flag flaps in the wind bearing the Gerudo symbol in gold. The tattered banner has been dulled by the grating sands through storms, and its appearance matches the worn and dejected faces of the people it symbolizes. They walk on through the unforgiving landscape, fueled by hope for a place in a prosperous land._

_Suddenly high stonewalls, pillars and large stained glass windows replace the desert landscape. A small group of Gerudo women stand before a large throne, on which a man, wearing the gilded crown of the Hylian King, sits with a vexed expression on his stern face. The King moves a hand adorned with jeweled rings to his white beard. After a beat the man lets a loud, barking laugh._

_"Well, well. So the proud Gerudo come to me on their knees begging for_ asylum _?" His tone is mocking._

_The woman at the head of the group with the jeweled headdress bows her head and drops to one knee. "My Lord, the Gerudo people humbly ask for your mercy." The woman begins. "In the year since our former leader's fall and banishment, the oasis we rely on for water has dried up and our crops no longer produce food. The magic that Lord Gan-"_

_"DO NOT SPEAK HIS NAME HERE!" The King of Hyrule interrupts the visitor, startling his court and the famished Gerudo with the venom and hatred loading his exclamation._

_The leader of the Gerudo continues. "The magic of our former Lord and his line kept our land habitable and with his banishment, the land has died. As second in command, I, Nabooru, have become the new leader of the Gerudo Tribe. I ensure you, my King, that I stood in firm opposition of His plans once they became apparent. I served on his trial with the other Sages and I was present at his execution. We come humbly seeking your aid in a time of great desperation. I implore you to have mercy on my people, my King." She is knelt low over the floor now, with her forehead pressed to the floor in a show of complete submission to the Hylian King before her._

_"Whether or not you opposed his plan to overthrow me, you obviously were in support of the regular raids your people made on my lands in the past. And you still had a major involvement in your tribe's childish rebellion that started the war. Don't you deny this, Nabooru. Why should I, the King of an honest and hardworking people, allow your band of wild women, witches, and thieves to take shelter on my land? Why shouldn't I turn you away to perish in your dead lands as a fitting punishment for your crimes and disloyalty?"_

_"Please, my King, have mercy." Nabooru pleads, voice low with exhaustion and emotion. "My sisters are able bodied. We are skilled warriors, midwives, and craftswomen. We are willing to work for your people to repay all debts that are owed."_

_The King is quiet for a long moment, stroking his beard in thought, and eyeing the Gerudo before him with calculating eyes. The members of his court around him bend their heads together whispering and scratching at their tablets. The most richly dressed of the King's court, his advisor, comes to whisper in the King's pointed ear._

_"You are willing to work to repay your debts you say?" The King says finally and the low, cold tone of his voice makes the backs of the Gerudo's dark necks bristle. "I have come to a decision. I, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule the Second, will herby grant the Gerudo Tribe asylum on Hyrule's lands under one condition."_

_Nabooru nods, resigned to the fate of her people. "Anything, my King."_

_"The Gerudo people will toil under their Hylian masters without pay until I say the debt to my people has been paid for your people's treason and pilfering."_

_The Gerudo leader clenches her jaw, holding back tears of despair, and gives a humble bow despite the tremors of rage running through her broad shoulders. Some of the women next to her shed silent, mournful tears for the loss of their freedom, while others lash out in rage._

_"Nabooru, you have betrayed your sisters!" A purple-clad Gerudo guard shouts, moving to draw her rapier. "I will_ never _submit to a pale-faced, spineless Hylian man! NEVER!"_

_The woman lunges towards the King, blind with rage, but several pairs of hands grab her muscular arms and shoulders, holding her back._

_"Be still, my sisters. Accept your King's generous hospitality." Nabooru orders. Her tone is devoid of emotion and her golden eyes stare dimly at the King smiling smugly before them, the fire gone from her gaze._

Amira wakes up in tears. She sits up and hugs her knees into her chest, letting her sobs flow. She can't explain away this dream. This one felt more like a vision than any of the others. Who is showing her such things? What is she supposed to do?

 

She takes a moment to regain her composure before dressing for her morning duties. What knowledge does the princess have of the deal that transpired between King Daphnes II and the Gerudo? What position will she take?

 

Hours later, Amira sets off for the entrance to the nearest tower, map in hand. Her stride is quick, purposeful. The visions coming to her in her dreams have become more and more intense, showing her things of her ancestors past that seem to be critical to the current state of Hyrule and she needs to know _why._ Ganondorf was locked away in another plane of existence for the past two hundred years so the only person who could know anything about the assimilation of the Gerudo into Hyrule would be princess Zelda or the dead King Daphnes V.

 

The stairs leading up to the first tower she tries are utterly destroyed. It looks as if a massive cannonball had torn up the middle of the path, leaving a ruined path of debris behind. She pulls out her map and finds her location; She's at the southeastern tower. The easiest one to try next is in the northeast.

 

With a breath of relief Amira finds the stairs leading up the northeastern tower to be intact. Feeling a burst of adrenaline, she runs up the winding narrow steps, bursting with anticipation to see what she will find at the top.

 

It doesn't take long for her pace to slow. Soon Amira is gasping for breath and clutching her side at what she hopes is past the halfway point.

 

There are so many Goddess-damned stairs.

 

Amira eventually reaches the end of the staircase, which terminates at a simple wooden door. She approaches the door tentatively and raises a hand to knock.

 

Her light knock is greeted with silence. She tries again, harder this time. She hopes there is nothing fearsome behind this door. After a beat she hears movement from the other side. The metal knob turns and Amira steps back, ready to run or fight if need be.

 

A young woman around Amira's age is on the other side of the door. Her blue eyes widen in shock and before Amira can process, her hand flashes out grabbing Amira by the arm and pulls her through the door with unprecedented strength.

 

Amira thinks this must be the princess Zelda. She looks even more proud and radiant than all the portraits Amira's seen of the princess, with her long brown hair braided and bound into golden threads, hanging nearly to her waist and her fierce blue eyes, wise and calm yet full of spirit. Those intelligent eyes observe her for a moment before the princess finally speaks.

 

"I did not know Ganondorf kept anyone else alive in the castle besides his monster servants. Are you a prisoner as well?"

 

Amira opens her mouth to say no but then pauses. _Is_ she Ganondorf's prisoner? Technically she cannot leave.

 

"I was a servant here under the royal family. I worked in the kitchens." Amira decides to be completely honest. She feels compelled to tell the truth to this woman, and has an uncanny feeling the princess would know if she lied. "Ganondorf captured me as I was fleeing on the night of the invasion and made me continue my role under him."

 

The princess regards her carefully. Amira worries she made matters worse admitting that she is in Ganondorf's service.

 

"I see." The princess lowers her gaze. "And you have sought me out of your own accord. Because you have questions."

 

Amira is taken aback. She had told Amira more than asked her and the notion that the princess knows why she's here despite never having met her chills her to her core.

 

"I...yes, your majesty. Ganondorf is away and I've spent two days searching for you. I wish to speak with you if you will allow me." Amira bows her head, not wanting to seem presumptuous or too informal.

 

The princess turns from her to sit at a small writing desk by the window. Her expression is still placid and unreadable. Her composure makes Amira's skin crawl. "Before I can speak with you, I must first know if I can trust you." She fixes her gaze on Amira and once again she feels compelled to tell the truth, to tell her _everything_. " Are you seeking me out on Ganondorf's behalf? To gather information?"

 

"No he doesn't know that I'm here." Amira lets the words leave her lips of their own accord. She feels as if they're being summoned out of her. Zelda never breaks her gaze. "I've come on my own. I want to understand what's happening to Hyrule. I...I've been having dreams of my ancestors - the Gerudo - and of the war two hundred years ago. I think the Goddesses are trying to tell me something but I do not know what."

 

The princess is silent for a long moment, her gaze boring into Amira's very soul as if searching for something. Finally she nods and looks away. Amira feels some invisible force snap when her gaze breaks. The gravity towards the princess she felt is now gone.

 

"The Power gifted to me by the Goddesses allows me to see many things." Zelda remarks, sitting in a simple wooden chair at a small table. "However I did not know you have been shown visions of the past. If it is truly an intervention of the Goddesses, then you most certainly have my trust. What do you want to know?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My biggest complaint with TP is how passive Zelda’s character is. She just sits in the tower the entire time and then sort of participates in the final fight and that bugs the heck out of me. I really wanted to make her character intense and a little unsettling.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone survived the holidays! This was a hard chapter to write. Dialogue is surprisingly tricky, especially when you have a whole chapter of it. 
> 
> Also I went back and edited a couple of chapters. Chapters 3, 5, and 7 have some minor edits now. Nothing too crucial to the main plot but I changed Amira's duties around the castle a little bit so she's more in charge of the Bulbins and Bokoblins that remain in the castle and she learns about their cultures.

Amira is silent for a long moment. She just doesn't know what to ask first. There are so many questions crowding her mind and she's afraid leading with the wrong one will make the princess suspicious of her.

 

She takes a breath and asks the first thing that comes to her mind. "How does he treat you? Are you getting food up here? I am in charge of the other servants and have never seen them prepare extra food despite the gruel and meat they feed their people..."

 

Amira trails off and mentally kicks herself. In her long anticipated audience with princess Zelda, possibly her only chance to get answers, this was _not_ what she meant to ask!

 

Zelda's blue eyes widen at the unexpected question, delicate eyebrows raised. Then her expression softens and she allows herself a small laugh and asks Amira for her name.

 

"You have more pressing questions, yet you chose to ask after my well-being first. I offer you my thanks, Amira." Her smile then falters, falling into a frown as she continues. "He is a cold man, hard of heart, as you may know but he has not harmed me physically. His monsters deliver that same gruel for me twice a day. I admit it is not what I am accustomed to but I am managing."

 

"Yeah, cooking doesn't seem to come naturally to them. I tried to teach them to make a cake once...it didn't go over well."

 

The princess laughs at that and Amira feels her chest swell with relief and pride that the Hylian monarch liked one of her jokes.

 

"Monstrous cooking aside, it is not my well being I fear for," Zelda brings them back to the subject at hand, "but the fate of my kingdom if Ganondorf triumphs. However we are not without hope. The Goddesses have also visited me in my dreams and have shown me the descendant of the Hero of legend. If he succeeds in his quest against Ganondorf's dark forces just as before, this prophesy may finally be put to rest. I must be patient till that time."

 

"Prophesy?" Amira asks incredulously. "What do you mean by before?"

 

Zelda lets out a breath and gestures to a seat across the small table. Amira sits and attempts to calm her racing heart and the storm of her thoughts.

 

"The events of Ganondorf's rise to power and banishment are part of a long war that goes beyond the conflict between the Hylians and the Gerudo. Are you aware of the Golden Goddesses and their creation of our world?"

 

Amira nods. Every child in Hyrule, through nursery rhymes and bedtime stories, knows the story of the creation of the world by the Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore. Amira had heard more stories of Din than any of the others. Din was supposedly the patron Goddess of the Gerudo and her people still worshiped her in secret although it has been forbidden for centuries. The legends of Din and the Desert Goddess are still circulated among her people through oral tradition, surviving without the ancient Gerudo texts, which were lost centuries ago.

 

"Did you know that when the Goddesses departed from this realm, they left a great power behind called the Triforce?"

 

A lot of things click into place in Amira's mind. She has heard the term before. She remembers Ganondorf mentioning it in their first meeting. "I've heard that word before!" She rushes, excited. "But I don't know much else."

 

"The Triforce is made up of three pieces containing powers granted by the three Goddesses." Zelda explains. "As you may remember, Din created the Land. She bestowed the piece of the Triforce pertaining to power. Nayru graced the land with Law and gifted the Triforce of Wisdom and lastly Farore gave the land Life to obey the Law and She gifted the Triforce of Courage. Their combined power was sealed in a sacred realm to protect it from the old evil that existed when the world was chaotic and without form. Throughout Hyrule's history there have been people hungry for the power of the Goddesses and dominion over this realm and in their greed they have harnessed the power of the evil that was sealed away in the first age of the world. Yet time and time again Hyrule was saved by a legendary Hero."

 

"Two hundred years ago, there was a prophecy." Zelda continues. "That an evil one would rise again and would once again face a Hero. At this time the Gerudo Tribe had rebelled against the Kingdom over decades of oppression and a series of dissatisfactory trade deals. The Gerudo were loosing the war and in a last attempt at victory, Ganondorf used his magic to curse all the kingdoms and stole the keys to the Sacred Realm to gain access to the Triforce. The Triforce connects the bearers deeply with our ancestors and the memories of my ancestor, Queen Zelda III, have come to me since I was a child, as vivid as if they were my own. Her memories have shown me many things that had not made it into Hyrule's history books. Many people know that at the time of Ganondorf's invasion, the Hero of prophecy was only a child. However what history has forgotten is that he was far too young and inexperienced to challenge the Gerudo King, who was believed to be the evil reincarnated, so the young Hero was sealed away until he became a man and was capable of defeating Ganondorf, saving Hyrule, and fulfilling the prophecy. By this time, Ganondorf had already gained access to the Sacred Realm and attempted to steal the Triforce but he was unable to claim it in its entirety. The Triforce split into three pieces, with the Triforce of Power going to Ganondorf, the Triforce of Courage going to the Hero and the Triforce of Wisdom going to my ancestor."

 

Zelda holds up the back of her left hand and three triangles glow faintly with the left glowing brightest. The markings are similar to those on Ganondorf's hand, though the top triangle shone brightest for him.

 

"Is that it? Is that the Triforce?" Amira asks, breathless. She realizes she's seen it before and not just from Ganondorf. The shape of it is all over Hyrule. It's on the flags, stones around the church, tapestries, and all sorts of other innocuous things that Amira hadn't paid much mind until this moment.

 

"This is the mark worn by a bearer, yes." Zelda nods. "I bear the Triforce of Wisdom, gifted by Nayru. It was passed on to me through my line, just as Farore's gift was passed down through the Hero's line."

 

"What happened to the Hero?" Amira asks, eager to hear more. "Why was Ganondorf banished?"

 

"The Hero defeated Ganondorf when he awoke as a man in the future. After his quest was over my ancestor took pity on him and he was sent back in time, returned to the childhood that was taken from him. Thus time was split into two paths. In our current path, the Hero informed my ancestor of future events only he had lived through and together they interfered with Ganondorf's plans to take the Triforce before they could come to fruition. Ganondorf was tried and sentenced to death for treason. His execution was attempted but the Triforce of Power appeared to him, for the Triforce had already been split in the other path and those events followed the Hero through time when he returned. Ganondorf's power could not be contained and he was banished after murdering one of the Sages. It is evident that his lust for power and revenge have only grown during his long exile. He still seeks the whole Triforce and dominion over this realm. He will come against the descendant of the Hero of Time as prophecy demands and with Hylia's blessing he will fall."

 

"How do you know of his plans?" Amira asks. The fact that Ganondorf was preemptively tried and sentenced for events that hadn't yet occurred disturbs Amira. Something doesn't feel right. Whether it was intentional or not, Amira has an inkling she isn't being told the whole story. "How do you know he hasn't changed?"

 

Zelda falls silent and regards her carefully. She looks surprised. Possibly taken aback by Amira's defense of the Gerudo King.

 

"I know enough to guess his motives based on history." The princess retorts and her tone is much colder, brow narrowed. Amira suddenly regrets her suspicion. "He has not revealed much to me, however he has mentioned he requires me alive because I hold a piece of the Triforce. He intends to bring the third bearer here as well. There is good reason to believe the bearer of the Triforce of Courage lives in Ordona Province and Ganondorf has already sent a forged summons from the King. If the third bearer does indeed reside there, it would be in his nature to answer the call to duty."

 

"What would he gain by leading you both here?"

 

"The whole Triforce. He sought it before and there is no reason to doubt he seeks it still. Unlike me, Ganondorf is unaware of the other timeline. He does not know his original plan to dominate Hyrule is doomed to fail. He has asked me many questions about artifacts and scrolls, referencing the most ancient and obscure legends even I barely know of. He is searching for something else within Hyrule and I have no doubt it will be another tool to use in his dominion over this world."

 

"But why would he do this?" Amira implores. "It's been so long since the war! What could he gain from having the whole Triforce?"

 

"Whoever can wield the Triforce, whoever can balance Power, Wisdom, and Courage in perfect harmony, will be granted a wish by the Goddesses." Zelda says sternly. "I shudder to think of what _his_ wish could be."

 

Amira feels her heart thudding in her chest. She knows Ganondorf is far from virtuous but after nearly a month in the man's company she thought she had seen enough to be confident in her mind that he wasn't an evil man. As a Gerudo, he had been the only real tie to her people she had ever known. Through all his short temperedness and seclusion, he showed compassion in his alliance with the Bulbins and Bokoblins, and towards her. Amira remembers when he healed her ankle and insisted on teaching her to read. Yet as she hears the princess' account of the Gerudo king, his crimes both in the past and in another reality, she begins to question her assessment of him.

 

Amira remembers his quick change of mood and his evasiveness when she asks him about his activities. He keeps her in the dark, only letting her see what he wants her to see.

 

She looks up to meet the princess' blue eyes. "I feel so...stupid." Amira confesses. "I agreed to be in his service to save my life at first but I had come to care for him, to trust him. But he has kept me in the dark this whole time. If what you say is true, what do I do?"

 

"You can help the Hero and myself, Amira. You can be on the side of the Goddesses." Zelda says softly. "If he reveals anything more of his plans to you, will you be so kind as to bring them to my immediate attention? My powers have allowed me limited contact with trusted allies in Castle Town, however I gathered enough to hear of a small resistance forming against Ganondorf's dark forces. The Hero will have a daunting journey ahead and we must do what we can to aid him in his divine duty."

 

Amira feels a lump in her throat. She swallows hard, attempting to dislodge it along with her mounting nervousness but to no avail. "Yes, of course your majesty. I would be honored to help." The words leave her lips but they feel empty. She doesn't know if they're true or not.

 

"You may call me Zelda." The bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom says with a smile. Her smile is soft, yet her gaze remains hard and calculating. Amira has a feeling she's still being assessed. "Did you have anything else you wish to ask of me? You may speak freely."

 

Through her anxiety over Ganondorf's true motives, Amira remembers her dream the night before. "Y-yes. Yes I do your maj-Zelda." She struggles to begin the question that was the hardest to ask, the one that mattered most to her. "Last night I had a vision of my ancestors leaving the desert in search of a better life in Hyrule. When they met with the king, they were mocked and made to give up their freedom for refuge in Hyrule. Princess Zelda, I am not sure if you are aware of the struggles my people have faced to make a home here in Hyrule, but my people still suffer after all this time. I have suffered. Everything I've been shown in my dreams...all these visions from the _Goddesses_ , have concerned the Gerudo during the war. I can't help but feel betrayed by Hyrule. I don't want to hate the kingdom...I don't want to have anything against you, princess Zelda. But I don't know if I can help you knowing your family enslaved my ancestors. Did you know of any of this?"

 

Zelda lowered her head and was silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was soft and quiet. "Yes. I do." Amira noticed a twinge of regret in her eyes. "Back then the King was admittedly blinded by hatred of the Gerudo people. I assure you, Amira, I am not of his low opinions and neither was my ancestor. Once the King died and Zelda IV became Queen, she brought the Gerudo out of slavery. She was close with the leader of the Gerudo and together they were able to turn most of the oppressive laws concerning the Gerudo around. Unfortunately the prejudice of many Hylians remained and I understand life has never been easy for your people here. My father was of the opinion of the old kings and I do apologize for the suffering you may have endured under his rule, but I assure you I do not share those prejudices and I hope to do right to fix some of those wrongs one day. I do hope you can trust me."

 

Amira sees no lie in the princess's azure eyes. After a beat, she nods, mood solemn. "Thank you." She bows her head. "I believe you. And I meant no disrespect on the Royal Family or you, princess, but I need to do right by my people."

 

Zelda gives a small smile and a pitying look.

 

"I-I should go. I have duties to attend to. Thank you, Zelda. For everything."

 

"You are quite welcome." The princess says, standing as well. "If you have any more visions in your dreams, please come see me."

 

"I will...if I can. I'm fairly sure Ganondorf would kill me if he caught me speaking with you." Amira says with a bitter laugh.

 

"Don't loose hope, Amira." Zelda says, seeing the half-Gerudo girl to the tower door. "The Goddesses are on our side."

 

Leaving the tower, Amira practically flies down the steep stairway in her haste to distance herself from the tower. As soon as she left that room, it felt as if a spell had been broken. She had begun to feel calm in the presence of the princess. At the end of their meeting she felt like they could trust one another, like she was on the right side of whatever she had gotten herself entangled in. But as soon as the door closed, a mounting panic welled up inside her, starting from her gut and building up into her throat so she felt she could no longer speak or breathe. She doesn't feel calm or sure about anything anymore as she sprints down the halls to the safety of her chambers.

 

When Amira arrives in her room, door slamming open, she sees that she had been away for hours. The clock tells her it is now evening. Amira collapses on the bed, pulling her knees up to her chest and feels panicked tears slide down her tanned cheeks. She feels like she is betraying not one but two homes. Hyrule has been home for her as long as she can remember, despite all it has put her through. And when she was with Ganondorf she felt like he could provide a bright new future and home for her and all of her people. And now she doesn't know if either he or the princess are truly on the right side of things.

She realizes she has to make a choice; to be a Gerudo or a Hylian.  

As she lets anxiety pour out of her in sobs, Amira feels more alone than she ever had before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not being very nice to my OC, am I? Hopefully the next chapter will make up for all of Amira's inner turmoil. ;)


	9. Chapter 9

Many hours have crawled by since Amira lay down to sleep and Zelda's words run through her mind on a loop.

_He was banished after murdering one of the Sages..._

_He is searching for something within Hyrule and I have no doubt it will be another tool to use in his dominion over this world..._

_He will come against the descendant of the Hero of Time as prophecy demands and with Hylia's blessing he will fall..._

With an exasperated sigh, she gets out of bed and lights a candle, holding it up to the clock. It's nearly two in the morning.

She lets out a frustrated groan.

She usually gets up at four to start her morning chores and no sleep seems just as bad as a measly two hours. She decides to go for a walk around the castle. The activity might help to clear these heavy thoughts from her head.

Amira dresses warmly to stave off the chill of the drafty, unheated castle and leaves her room. She doesn’t have a destination in mind, too focused on shaking Zelda's chilling words away as she walks aimlessly through the dark halls, her candle lighting the way.

She ascends the grand staircase straight up, past the east and west wings. She's never been this way before but according to the map of the castle she used yesterday the stairs should eventually lead to the throne room. At the top of the staircase, tapestries and empty suits of armor line a wide hallway. In the dark, her imagination runs wild. The hall seems eerily still, silent as a grave. The castle has always been this quiet, ever since the invasion, but it seems much more so at night.

She sticks to the main hall, ignoring the corridors and doors branching away. She only has a few hours and doesn't want to get lost. As she continues down the large hall, she begins to notice more and more destruction. The floor is littered with pieces of armor, many of which are caved in or twisted into unrecognizable shapes. The tapestries hang in tatters, each one more destroyed as she moves down the hall. Amira reaches the end of the hall where the most destruction lies and examines one of the tattered tapestries.

It looks as if it were rent by large claws.

The sight of those claw-like marks chill her. For a second she imagines a large terrifying monster lurking the empty halls but tells herself this must have been the work of Ganondorf's army during the invasion. She looks to the set of large wooden double doors, barely illuminated by her candle's weak light. Her step falters in her fear but then her eye catches the scarred runes on her arm and takes a deep breath, walking forward. Armed with Ganondorf's spell, she knows no monster can touch her.

The heavy doors swing open with a loud groan to reveal the cavernous throne room. Great pillars line both sides of the room and the end terminates in three large stone thrones, with the center throne being the largest. More signs of destruction litter the room in the form of helmets, tattered rugs, bent weapons and mutilated shields. She realizes these aren't the decorative suits of armor from the hallways but real armor, belonging to dead soldiers.

But where are the bodies?

Amira let's out a shaky breath. She can see her breath come out in white steam in the freezing air. A twist in her gut tells her the throne room is still dangerous. She was wrong to have come here. She turns back to the hallway to leave when she feels a crackle of energy, making the hairs on the back of her neck and arms prickle.

A dark purple void opens in front of the way out. Amira can hear the dark energy crackling now. She backs away from the widening portal, but freezes in horror when she sees a gigantic beast emerging. The portal vanishes and it stands before her, shackles raised, growling threateningly.

It looms over her with large, twisted tusks and a snout like a giant boar. A red mane of thick fur extends from the top of its head, running down its broad back like a lion. Amira raises her arm instinctively, waiting for the runes to glow and ward off the monster but nothing happens.

"Shit!" Amira curses and backs away from the monstrous beast, hands raised in what she hopes will be seen as a peaceful gesture. She wonders incredulously _how_ a monster this large not under Ganondorf's command could have broken into the castle?

With a deafening roar the beast charges.

Amira sprints off to the left, trying to out maneuver the large animal by being much smaller and more nimble but it strikes out with a massive clawed paw, sweeping her legs out from under her. Amira's body hits the stone floor with a thud.

Adrenaline fuels her muscles, dulling the pain of the strike and her impact with the floor. Amira twists onto her back. The beast is looming over her, yellow eyes gleaming. Stricken with terror, she sends a mental prayer to any Goddess who might be listening, hoping for some kind of intervention.

The gigantic creature lowers its head. It's twisted ivory tusks nearly touch the ground, trapping her, and it's boarish snout sniffs as it opens its huge maw in which white fangs gleam. Amira's eyes flicker up its terrifying face and she notices the glimmer of something at the top of its head.

A jeweled headdress sits oddly out of place on the animal's forehead, the gold plates holding it's wild red mane back from it's face. She's suddenly struck with an overwhelming feeling of familiarity at the sight of the crown, the shape of it's eyes, and the red mane. It looks uncannily similar to...

“ _Ganondorf_?” She asks incredulously.

The beast freezes and pulls back slightly with a growl, studying her with eyes that slowly become clearer and more golden.

His eyes...

“G-Ganondorf, is that you?” She tries to keep her voice calm despite her fear.

The growling falters and the beast regards her warily. Summoning all her courage, Amira sits up from the floor. The beast (Ganondorf?) backs away slightly. Growls erupt from his throat intermittently and as she stands with effort and moves closer. She notices fine tremors running through the bulging muscles underneath his thick fur.

“Ganondorf...if you can hear me, come back...please,” She whispers, moving a step closer. He growls softly in response but his eyes look less wild, more human.

She takes another step closer and notices with a gasp that his thick fur is matted with blood in places and a jagged white scar runs down his chest.

“You're hurt.” Amira says softly. She closes the gap between them and extends a hand to his boar-like face. She holds herself still when he flinches away.

“What happened to you?” She moves her hand again. When he doesn't flinch, she rests it against the red fur along his huge muzzle. He snorts and closes his eyes. For a long time the only sound in the room is the sound of his labored breathing.

The jewel on his forehead begins to glow and Amira looks down at his left paw, noticing the triangle mark glowing there as well. Eyes still closed and breathing labored, he begins to change. Amira drops her hand from his face, stepping back to watch with relief, as his form grows smaller and more human. Ganondorf stands before her, still towering over her in his human form and his eyes open again slowly.

"A...mir...a" He rasps and stumbles forward. Amira catches his arms, steadying him. He seems barely conscious.

"Ganondorf! You're going to be all right. Hold on just a bit longer!" She cries urgently, shaking his shoulders to keep him alert. He is so heavy. If she can't get him to stay conscious long enough to bring him to a bed, she doesn't know what she'll do. She keeps talking to him, encouraging him to stay awake and move to a better place to rest. This all feels strangely similar to the many times she helped Telma escort drunks out the door of her Bar at closing time.

He grunts in response but allows her to move to his side and sling a heavy arm over her shoulders. Acting as a brace, she helps him leave the destroyed throne room.

Ganondorf's barely conscious when they reach the rooms of the late King Daphnes. He collapses on the bed, instantly falling into a deep sleep. Amira stumbles back into a large plush chair, exhausted. The clock in this room reads four in the morning. She sighs, realizing she needs to get on with her morning chores. She can let herself rest later.

She gazes at Ganondorf's massive form, unconscious on the bed. He looks _worn_. His face is drawn and dark circles line his eyes as if he hasn't slept in days. It's been two days since he says he left and she found him emerging out of thin air from a strange magical portal in the form of a beast. She wonders where he was and what could have possibly happened to him. She doesn't want to leave his side but he looks stable enough and will hopefully be asleep for a few hours. Reluctantly, she leaves to tend to his army.

Two hours later and covered in filth, Amira returns from her morning chores and hastily makes herself some porridge, wolfing it down while she rushes around the kitchen, grabbing stored red and blue potions and clean rags to make compresses. She hopes Ganondorf's condition hasn't changed for the worse in the couple hours since she left him. Amira's knowledge of medicine isn't extensive, however she learned a great deal of basic first aid from Telma, who always kept a supply of bandages and potions behind the bar incase of bar fights or general drunken mishaps.

Returning to the room with her supplies, she finds the Gerudo King in the midst of a fitful sleep. Sweat beads on his broad forehead, running down his temples and dampening his orange beard and she can hear his heavy breathing. She soaks a rag in the water basin, ringing the cold water onto his forehead and then laying the wet rag across his brow. She feels his forehead with the back of her hand.

It's burning hot.

Cursing, Amira looks at the bottles of potion she set on the nightstand. It'll be hard to get him to take them while unconscious. She decides to try getting his fever under control with compresses and hopefully he will come to soon enough. She gazes at his face. Despite the effects of the fever and exhaustion, he looks years younger while asleep. His face is softer; the angry lines around his eyes and mouth are gone. It's the first time she has really noticed the soft texture of his beard and the strong, prominent lines of his jaw and nose. It's a unique face, a handsome one even.

Blushing, Amira tears her gaze away from his face, cursing herself for thinking such thoughts about the Gerudo man. She remembers the beast's fur, matted with blood and her eyes scan his arms and torso, looking for obvious wounds. There are a few places where his armor is slightly dented or the fabric of his shirt is torn. Hoping his wounds aren't beyond her skill, she removes his armor and heavy clothing piece by piece until his torso is bare.

She gasps, staring wide eyed at the ripples of muscle down his abdomen, his vast chest, and muscular arms. She recalls Telma using the term _hunk_ to describe a particularly muscular man at the bar one time and thinks the term describes Ganondorf well. Shaking her head to focus, she looks for wounds. There are several shallow cuts littering his arms and torso intermixed with old battle scars, but they all seem minor. There's a sizable gash on his side and though the bleeding has mostly stopped, it looks to be on the verge of infection. There is also a massive white scar in the center of his chest. It looks old and gnarled, but Amira is awed by the size of it. It must have been a near-fatal injury when he obtained it, judging by its position in the center of his chest.

With another rag, she dabs water on the wounds, cleaning the gash and the small cuts gingerly. Ganondorf sleeps on through her ministrations, though she is happy to notice his fever seems to be diminishing slightly. He's not sweating as much and his breathing has calmed.

Amira spends most of the day by his side, leaving briefly to make a more substantial meal for Zelda that isn't Bulbin gruel. She sends a Bulbin to deliver it to her. She fears Zelda's unsettling ability to drag the truth out of people. Amira doesn't want the princess to know that Ganondorf is for one, back, secondly injured, and thirdly that she's trying to play the part of nurse for the most hated man in Hyrule.

For the most part Ganondorf sleeps peacefully, only occasionally muttering something unintelligible or tossing and turning in brief fits. By evening she is so exhausted and worn, she passes out in the large chair at the bedside.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter does contain some references to domestic abuse and debt slavery. It's just one section of dialogue and I realize that can be a triggering topic for some folks and don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable so please skip that section if you need to!

Amira wakes suddenly. For a moment she doesn't recognize the large, richly decorated room and is confused by the sight of a large figure on the bed until memories of the previous day trickle through her sluggish mind. She must have been beyond exhausted. As usual, the flat orange light outside the window does nothing to inform her of the time but the large grandfather clock at the far wall tells her its around seven in the morning of the next day.

 

Ganondorf is still unconscious on the bed. He has been asleep for over a day. Worried, Amira rushes to his side and feels his massive chest. It's still rising and falling with his breath and she can feel his heart beating. Amira breathes a sigh of relief. He looks miles better. The fever from yesterday appears to be gone and he stopped thrashing around, finally in a peaceful sleep. A small smile spreads across Amira's face. She feels so relieved seeing Ganondorf at peace and resting. She doesn't know much about his past or what he's been through since his return but from what she gathered it seems like he has neglected himself for a long time. With little thought, her hand moves from his chest to his brow. She forgets herself for a moment as she smoothes a thick orange eyebrow with her thumb idly, gazing at the strong aquiline features of his face.

 

Suddenly he stirs. Amira makes a small yelp in surprise and quickly removes her hand from his brow as his confused gold eyes meet hers.

 

He looks over his surroundings with calculating, suspicious eyes and shifts, attempting to sit up. He gasps suddenly, wincing in pain and Amira's hand flashes out, pressing against his chest to push him back down.

 

"Don't do that! You'll upset the bandages!" She scolds.

 

His eyes flicker up to look at the stern expression on the young half-Gerudo woman before him. Ganondorf lets out a loud, barking laugh that nearly startles Amira out of her skin.

 

"So you are a healer now!" He laughs, "You certainly are full of surprises." His voice is a tone deeper and hoarse from disuse. He chuckles again and she blushes with frustration and embarrassment.

 

"I don't see what's so funny!" Amira exclaims, exasperation and concern fueling her. "I found you in the throne room half-dead with a fever and all those injuries! You've been asleep for over a day!"

 

The Gerudo King's wide grin falls into a frown. His eyes narrow, once again distrustful. " _How_ did you find me exactly?"

 

Amira's gut twists in fear, remembering the horror of the gigantic beast emerging suddenly from that odd void, how its eyes, _his eyes_ , were gleaming with that hungry stare, how he charged at her and struck her down. She had thought he was going to maul her and it was one of the most frightening moments of her life. She was planning on avoiding the subject of the state she really found him in for as long as possible.

 

"I...um...you weren't quite yourself, you see...." Amira falters at the intense stare he's giving her. He doesn't seem angry but on edge, as if he knows the answer to his question. Does he fear her reaction? She takes a deep breath and lets the whole story pour out of her mouth, words rushing together with haste. "I couldn't sleep that night so I went for a walk and found myself in the throne room and you suddenly appeared out of mid-air, b-but you weren't you! You were this _huge_ beast and you looked like you were going to kill me but then I recognized you and you stopped and- oh Din, Ganondorf, what happened to you?"

 

"Amira-"

 

"Where you _cursed_? I was so worried about you-"

 

"Amira!" Amira freezes and his loud voice brings her back to focus. She remains frozen as Ganondorf runs a hand over his face. He attempts to sit up again and this time Amira rushes to help him, arranging the pillows behind his back. After a grunt of thanks, he looks at her for a heavy moment before gesturing for her to sit. He gestures to the chair but she takes a seat on the edge of the bed, close to him. He looks surprised at first but then his surprise melts into a troubled frown. "You choose to remain by my side even though you witnessed my _other_ form. I don't know whether to call you brave or stupid."

 

Amira scowls. _That was_ _rude_.

 

"And no, I was not cursed. Nor was that the first time I have taken that form...and it might not be the last." His frown deepens, tone morose _._ Amira feels afraid certainly, because Ganondorf not only knew how she found him, but also had this happen more than once. However she needs to know more and looks expectantly at him, waiting for the Gerudo to continue.

 

"We cannot live in the twilight realm as ourselves." Ganondorf continues, his gaze on the large fireplace across the room. "When I... _arrived_ there I changed into the form of a beast. I did not know why at first but I learned my body had been stuck in between the realms, unable to exist in either until I could return. My spirit was all that was left and that is the form it took. I existed in that monstrous form for decades, maybe even centuries for all I know. Time does not flow the same there. I returned to my body when I escaped but my other form still takes over at times. Especially during the night. I had to return to the twilight realm for...business reasons. I did not anticipate struggling so hard to return to normal, but it was much more challenging this time."

 

"Oh." The syllable falls from Amira's lips into the silent room and it doesn't feel like it properly took up the space left after the heaviness of what Ganondorf shared with her. It doesn't feel like an appropriate response but she doesn't know what else to say.

 

"Oh? Is that all you have to say?" The Gerudo King asks gruffly. "I still fail to understand why you are not fleeing or screaming in terror." His last words have a bitter edge to them. She thinks he's being sarcastic, but she can tell there is tremendous pain behind this front he's putting up to drive her away.

 

Amira shakes her head and stands up from the bed, washing a clean rag in the bowl of water at his bedside. "I'd like to check your wounds." She says quietly, motioning for him to adjust his arms so she can wipe away the gel covering the wounds on his side and chest. He allows her, watching her movements warily. The silence around them is nearly unbearable, thick with tension.

 

"You're not a monster." Amira says after a long moment, wiping gently at the large gash on his side.

 

Ganondorf snorts, crossing his arms over his chest. "You don't know what you're talking ab-"

 

"I do!" She interrupts, pulling back to meet his golden eyes. "If you were truly a monster, you wouldn't have spared my life. You would have treated the bulbin tribes like slaves instead of like allies. You would never have treated me with such kindne-"

 

"You think I'm _kind_?" He scoffs.

 

"Compared to other men I've met, yes." Amira drops her gaze to her lap, where she holds the rag. "I haven't had a lot of kindness in my life." She falls silent, biting her lip. She doesn't talk about her past often and has never opened up to someone like she's about to and while she feels mortified at the notion of telling Ganondorf her life's story, she thinks it might help this precarious situation somehow to tell him. Tentatively, her eyes flicker up to his face. He's sitting there, expression calm. He's giving her all of his attention and that thought makes a blush come to her cheeks. She takes a deep breath.

 

"Life is difficult for my people. We never give birth to sons and Hyrule only recognizes the sons as the legitimate heirs to the family fortune...not daughters. So many of us remain poor and my mother and I were no exception. My father wasn't around much, though I knew of him. Most of us don't marry. It is said it was tradition, back when we lived in the desert, to raise children in our communities, without the fathers. But my mother was pressured into marriage by his family...threatened actually. The threats became more intense when it became known that she was pregnant and she gave in...for my safety. He was not a kind man and lost all our money to ale and gambling." Amira pauses, wringing the rag in her hands. She can't remember the last time she spoke of her father. It's been years. The thought of him always brings angry tears and memories of her mother explaining away the bruises that would show up on her arms and face, always with a fragile, false smile in place.

 

"One night he lost a large bet and went into debt. Because they were married, his debt became my mother's burden to bear and she was sent to work for the castle as a servant until the debt could be cleared. That was when I was nine. She died of fever when I was twelve, with a large portion of the debt still unpaid. The rest fell to me and my father, who stopped working and became a drunk on the streets. I went to the castle to work then and have been here ever since. It was humiliating, working off the debt of my father who did nothing good for my mother or I, but lots of other girls like me worked there and it became home after a while. I don't know how much of the debt is left anymore...I lost track years ago."

 

Amira wraps her arms around her knees and pulls the to her chest, suddenly feeling the need to retreat into herself.

 

"Amira, I-" She lifts her head at the soft voice. Ganondorf had sat up more during her story so that he was sitting slightly closer to her. His eyes are full of emotion and the typical frown etched into his face is gone, replaced with a much softer look that makes her heart ache. "I am sorry. So sorry..."

 

"D-don't be." Amira practically whispers, turning away. "It's not your fault."

 

"It is." He insists, shifting closer. He brings a hand under her chin and gently turns her face towards his. "It is all my fault. I shouldn't have left my tribe. I shouldn't have let my anger against Hyrule consume me and cloud my judgment. I took a great risk to turn the war to my people's favor and I failed. I failed them. During exile, I lost myself in the form of a beast. I could not remember my people or my past. I could only feel my anger, which grew into a hatred for myself so intense I wanted to bring the whole world down with me. But...when I returned to this realm my first thought was of my people. I immediately went to the desert, to show them their King had returned. I had dreams of leading them in a march on Hyrule..." He pauses, shaking his head slowly. "But when I found my way back to the fortress there was nothing left...only the ruins of the home we spent so long building. The temple of the Desert Goddess was abandoned, crawling with vermin. I had not known how long I'd been gone until I found the Bublin chief, who informed me that the oasis dried up and that my people had left for the greener pastures of Hyrule centuries ago. And I now know of all the suffering I caused for my tribe because of that idiotic war...all they've had to endure under the oppression of Hyrule. If I had not left, you would have had a good life in the desert, full of freedom...I would have ensured that."

 

Amira lets out a breath and realizes it's shaky. Her cheeks are damp, slow tears rolling down her cheeks as she hears his sorrow and painful regret. "You can't change the past, Ganondorf." She tells him. She reaches out, placing her hand on top of his much larger one. "I can tell you aren't who you used to be and...I-I know you can do good if you choose. You don't have to be a victim of prophecy-"

 

"Prophecy?" Ganondorf withdraws his hand, pulling away. "What do you know of prophecy?"

 

Amira's breath catches in her throat. She realizes she's made a horrible mistake letting what she learned from Zelda slip. "I-"

 

"What did you mean by a _victim of prophecy_?" He's agitated, maybe even angry. Amira can't be sure if it's a trick of the light but she thinks she sees his eyes grow wild for a moment, the pupils shrinking reminiscent of the beast she had met.

 

"I-I don't know...I'm just trying to help...I-"

 

"Help what? Where did you hear of the prophecy? You cannot have read it unless you are exceptionally clever and learned how to master the written word in just a few days and I sincerely doubt you have!"

 

Amira scoffs, scandalized by those words. Did he just insult her intelligence? Something in her snaps and before she even knows what's happening, she's screaming at him.

 

"Why do you refuse my help?!" She yells. She's standing up now, facing him. "I don't understand you at all! What do you want from me?! Why do you teach me how to read one minute then act all cold and aloof the next? Yeah, my life was hard before you waltzed in here and took over but it's not like I have it easy now! Sometimes I think you're reaching out to me and that you want someone to help you make the wrongs of history right and believe me I would be! But then you push me away and make me feel like an insignificant servant again! I was feeling so alone because you weren't telling me anything so when you left I found the princess so I could learn more about the war. She told me many things about you and some prophecy that you seemed to fit the bill for that said a Hero would come to defeat you and save Hyrule and that you were tried and banished for crimes some other future version of yourself committed. And I think all of that is bullshit! I hate the way society treats us, as if we're lower than dirt! I want Hyrule to see us as more than thieves! I want my people to have a place of their own where they'll finally be happy! I just want to help you escape this ridiculous prophecy! WHY WON'T YOU LET ME?"

 

Her voice breaks and she falters, falling silent. Only the sound of her angry panting fills the room. Ganondorf is just sitting there on the edge of the bed, looking _stunned_.

 

"You talked...to _Zelda_?" His voice is low, the kind of low tone that's holding back a special kind of seething anger. He stands, only wincing slightly, and is now towering over Amira's shaking form. "You sought her out behind. My. Back? You have an odd way of _helping_ , Amira."

 

"I-I didn't mean-"

 

"You didn't mean what?! Amira, she's _powerful_ , as powerful as I am! I'm sure you felt her mind in yours, probing your thoughts as she's fond of doing. Or maybe you didn't because you're obviously so thickheaded and didn't feel her manipulating you through your THICK SKULL!" The large Gerudo man falls silent. Suddenly his eyes seem to clear and he takes in Amira's cowering figure, pressed up against the back wall with tears streaming down her face. He lets out a deep sigh and runs a hand over his face, breathing deep. "Amira...I am sorry. I did not mean to loose my temper like that."

 

He closes the distance between then in only a few long strides. Amira makes a small noise and raises her arms up defensively, shaking like a leaf. His hands quickly flash out, grabbing her wrists. Her eyes are wide and wild, full of fearful anticipation of what he might do next. But he gently tugs her into his chest, pressing her slender body to him. Sobs flow out of Amira, heavy, wet and unrestrained as if a dam just broke and throughout the waves of her cries, Ganondorf holds her tight.

 

Even at nearly six feet tall, the top of her head only reaches his collarbone. She gives into his embrace and buries her head into his vast bare chest, breathing in his scent as she tries to catch some air in between sobs. "Please don't cry." He murmurs into her hair. "It's alright." He's so warm against her and even through the flood of emotions she's feeling, all her pent up grief and frustration, the feeling of his solid mass and the gentle touch of his hand stroking her back help to ground her.

 

"You're really intimidating when you yell." She mumbles against his chest, words interrupted by occasional sniffles and hiccups. She feels his chest shake with his rumbling laughter.

 

"You were right you know." He mutters, voice muffled by her hair. "I shouldn't have kept so much from you. You have been nothing but loyal to me these past moons and...if you truly wish to be my ally...I would be honored to have you at my side."

 

Amira smiles and pulls back to look at him. He's gazing at her fondly and absentmindedly raises a hand to brush the last remains of her tears with his thumb. "No more secrets, ok?" She whispers. "I didn't want to keep the meeting with Zelda from you, but I actually thought you would kill me if you found out!"

 

Ganondorf gives another chuckle and releases her. Amira tries not to feel too disappointed at the absence of his warmth and strength. "If you were anyone else, I might have." He says with a contemplative look on his face.

 

"Though what you said about her power...I did feel it. She was in my head and it felt like she was pulling my thoughts out of me. It was the strangest feeling being in a room with her...she's a scary lady." Amira confesses.

 

Ganondorf truly laughs at that, full-blown laughter with his head thrown back, mouth open, and fang-like canine's gleaming. Amira realizes there is still something wild about him even in his human form, a fire that is not easily put out. "Of course she would come across as terrifying. She holds a piece of the Triforce." He remarks with a grin. "I assure you I can be just as fearsome." Though it would normally sound like a threat, his demeanor is still relaxed and his banter playful.

 

"Oh please!" Amira jests with a playful eye roll. "You're just a big softie."

 

Ganondorf frowns at that, bushy brows furrowing.

 

"I'm kidding!" Amira laughs, playfully batting at his chest. Then she sobers her expression. "You are terrifying as well...just in a different way."

 

"You haven't seen anything yet." Ganondorf says with a smirk.

 

They both laugh, but their joking abruptly ceases when Amira notices the wound on his side, which had scabbed over since the previous day, is open again. Blood slips down his side in hot streams and Amira gasps, immediately fussing over him and telling him to get back in bed. Ganondorf tries to resist, complaining all the while that she sounds too much like the women from his tribe, but Amira notices the fondness remaining in his eyes despite his pretense of grumpiness.


	11. Chapter 11

Ganondorf recovered from his injuries quickly. After another long sleep, he was back on his feet with a thin white scar being the only reminder of the gash on his side. Even with the regenerative properties of the potions Amira made him drink, his recovery was remarkably fast. Amira had noticed that the golden mark of the Triforce pulsed with his heartbeat as he rested. She wondered if its powers had sped his healing.

 

Since Ganondorf's return, things were different between them.

 

The Gerudo King had invited Amira to dine with him so frequently, she now sits with him without any prompting or hesitation. He seemed to be friendlier towards her and would ask her questions about her past and her people, sometimes sitting together talking long after they finished their meal. 

 

During these long talks, Ganondorf would tell her stories of his people. He told her about their customs and holidays most of all. He seemed to intentionally avoid telling her anything personal about his life, but whenever he described a memory of his people, Amira thought she could see a change in him. There was always an aura of malice and pent-up rage within the man, but over the past couple weeks that air about him seemed to diminish somewhat. To remember his humanity after such a long time away from it must bring him healing, she thinks.

 

Amira enjoyed hearing about the Gerudo festivals most of all. There was Hayi _,_ the festival of life, at the end of the brief rains that would come to signal the short winter season. All the Gerudo would gather together for four nights of feasting, drinking, and dancing. It was the only time of year they ever had food in surplus, and while they stored a considerable amount of crops and meat away for the long dry season that stretched from the spring through mid-fall, his people couldn't resist the chance to revel in abundance, even if it was only for a little while. Amira was most fascinated by Agar Tshi, the fire festival. In the middle of the summer, when the temperatures are unbearably hot during the day, the Gerudo would gather together in the middle of the night and erect a huge pyre to honor Din, the patron Goddess of their people. They would set the giant pyre alight and Amira sat wide-eyed in wonder as Ganondorf described the flames towering over everything, flickering tall as if desperate to reach the heavens. The Gerudo were talented dancers and athletes, so dangerous performances and competitions involving fire would continue until the first rays of the morning sun. They would dance to energetic drums while twirling flaming batons, juggling blazing clubs, racing over hot coals, and many other dramatic, hair-raising feats Amira could scarcely imagine.

 

Lastly, there was Roja Miriyan, or Day of the Dead. While the Gerudo celebrated the end of the rains and the harvesting of their crops with a festival of life, they began the season of plenty with an honoring of the dead. The summers in the Gerudo Desert were long and torturously hot. Every year, the tribe lost elders, children, and even able-bodied warriors to famine and heat. This somber night was dedicated to honoring the souls of the lost and speeding their passage to the next world with an all-night vigil at the Spirit Temple. The tribe would make the pilgrimage across the Haunted Wasteland on foot in a slow procession, with each member holding a candle, which they strived to keep alight until they could set them at the feet of the statue to the Desert Goddess, where they sat, singing and praying as the desert winds blew the candles out one by one.

 

Crossing the Haunted Wasteland as a tribe was fairly safe as very few monsters would dare attack them in such large numbers but part of the coming of age trial included crossing the wasteland on one's own with only one weapon of choice and a small water skin. One night Ganondorf told her of his trial, which had been much more intense than the rest of his tribe, because he was the only male and their soon-to-be King. Amira was awed and astounded by the things he had to do at the age of sixteen to complete the trial and become King. It was a trial of strength to be sure, but also of intellect, cunning, and resourcefulness. He easily could have died during, which would have left his people without a male heir. When she questioned this, his reply shocked her.

 

"Though a man is only born among us every hundred years and is to become King by law, my people knew they were strong and capable of governing themselves without a King. Every member of my tribe was liable to die during the trials, and some did. It may seem heartless to you, Amira, but it was necessary for us to go through such rigorous trials to prove ourselves fit for a life in the desert. And it was even more important for me to prove that I could lead and protect my people for the rest of my life. The Hylian royalty don't have to prove their worthiness to rule. They are simply given their place and all their power by birthright. But I had to earn my place among my own people. I had to earn my Power..." Ganondorf trailed off, studying his left hand where the golden mark of the Triforce glowed dully. "How can a King deserve to rule if he does not suffer for his people?"

 

He looked at her then, eyes reflecting the flickering flames as they sat before the fireplace that night. She fell silent and stared at his face, unable to reply. She remembers how her heart hammered in her chest when he looked at her with that intense, penetrating gaze.

  
***** 

Amira has come to enjoy reading as much as cooking, perhaps even more. When she finds herself with a spare moment in her day, she delights herself in reading anything she can get her hands on, absorbing the knowledge from those crinkled pages like a sponge soaks up water. Amira realizes what Ganondorf meant by 'knowledge is power'. These books contained everything, from fairytales and legends to history and political documents. They all had secrets trapped within their pages and Amira felt a satisfaction unlike any other when she discovered them. As she practiced she focused more on the history books. It's important to know Hyrule's history, she thinks. She knows she won't be able to help Ganondorf fight the prophecy without understanding his and Hyrule's past.

 

It is now afternoon in the middle of the third week since Ganondorf returned and Amira sits alone in the cavernous library, as close to the roaring fire in the hearth as possible. Today is remarkably cold. She sits at a table, bundled in her winter clothes, bent over a stack of parchment. Blue eyes narrow and her red brows knit together in intense focus as she bends over a stack of old parchment on the desk with a steaming mug of tea in one hand and a quill in the other.

 

Amira is attempting to read a letter from King Daphnes II, the King who ruled during the Hylian-Gerudo war, addressed to an unfamiliar name. The paper is ancient. Its curling, decaying edges and old faded ink had caught Amira's eye when she returned to clean that afternoon. It was lying on the desk Ganondorf had been working at earlier that morning. She was overcome with curiosity and sat down with the intention of trying to decipher it. Not only is the document archaic, but the language is incredibly bureaucratic and quite difficult to understand as well, not to mention dull. But from what Amira can gather, the letter concerned a treaty signed by Ganondorf and the Hylian King before the war started and a trade deal that was tied to it. She knows the King had not adhered to the treaty, that's what started the war in the first place. This letter seems to have taken place just before the war.

 

Amira's tired eyes scan the last half of the document. She never knew reading could be so exhausting. It seemed to energize her when she read something simple like a fairytale but had the ability to sap all her energy when she tried to read anything technical. She would never understand why.

 

Suddenly she stops reading and focuses on the last paragraph. She reads it a second time, and a third. She can hardly believe what she just read, but there it is before her, the intentions of the ancient King of Hyrule plain as day.

 

_For too long have the desert tribes gone unpunished for their pilfering of Hyrule's lands. The terms of the new treaty are what they deserve yet their ungrateful, proud leader will not concede. A deliberate violation of our treaty with the Gerudo will undoubtedly elicit rebellion from their impetuous race. The desert tribes are an impoverished, savage people. My spies have informed me their stores are running low in this time of drought and that they are planning several more raids on our lands soon. If they indeed declare war, their forces will be no match for our own and will be easily felled. The irksome Gerudo will bow to Hyrule soon._

The letter ends with the seal of the Royal Family and the King's signature.

 

Amira feels as if the wind were knocked out of her. The Hylian King pushed the Gerudo to declare war _on purpose_. Her people were pushed into starvation, on the brink of desperation before Ganondorf decided to rebel. Ganondorf's declaration of war was not merely the move of a power-hungry warlock wishing to dominate the country like many people thought it was, but a last-ditch effort to survive and stand up for the dignity of his people. This was conspiracy. This was a kind of manipulation so horrible, it made Amira's stomach sicken. Why would Ganondorf leave something so earth shattering behind for anyone to find?

 

There have to be more letters between the ancient King and this mysterious stranger, she thinks.

 

Amira moves, filled with determination and fiery rage. She stands from the table and feels a sudden dizziness come over her. Her mind feels far away and her vision tunnels as she feels her knees buckle. Amira's thoughts spin away as she feels a sense of weightlessness and plunges into darkness.

 

_She finds herself alone in a simple room with tan sandstone walls covered in brightly colored rugs. Handmade pottery and tiny cacti cover every conceivable surface. A simple window looks out onto the rooftops of sandstone buildings, endless desert, and cloudless blue sky. She's pacing the small room, however she hardly realized she was doing so. Thoughts come flooding into her mind, though she realizes they aren't her own._

_Worried thoughts. Regretful thoughts._

_Her hand moves of its own accord, bangles jingling._

_She looks down in surprise. It isn't her hand. She turns to look in the mirror on a stone dresser to see a tall, muscular woman with golden eyes. Her skin is tanned dark brown and her hair is bright red. She is clad in loose-fitting white pants with a tight white band covering her breasts being the only thing resembling a top. A red jewel adorns her forehead, with a matching one hanging as a pendant on an ornate gold necklace. She's the woman in all of Amira's dreams._

_Nabooru._

_It is a strange feeling, this dream. She is aware of her own consciousness and yet she is not in control of the body she is seeing out of. She is merely a spectator to this other woman's thoughts and movements. Suppressing her mounting panic and unease, she attempts to adjust to the strange feeling of inhabiting another's body and observes._

_Nabooru raises her hands to her forehead, adjusting the large ruby, fixing her high ponytail. With an exasperated sigh, she lets her hands fall, shoulders slumping forward. Amira can feel her anxiety and despair. This woman is trying to keep herself together, but she can feel the mounting stress is about to crack her composure._

_At that moment, she hears a knob turn and feels a silent presence behind her. Lightening quick, Nabooru pivots, spinning and drawing one of her curved scimitars from her waist in a single, deft movement. She points the weapon at the intruder; a slightly shorter Gerudo with short, tousled red hair, clad in pink. She stands in the doorway with her hands raised in surrender, yet sports a sly grin and warm amber eyes._

_"Jumpy this morning, aren't we?" The other woman murmurs with a soft laugh._

_"By Din, Saanvi! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that!" Nabooru scolds, exasperated, but Amira can feel a wave of relief at the other woman's presence._

_"Ha! I wasn't even trying to sneak but I guess all that training you put your favorite spy through paid off!" Saanvi smirks and approaches Nabooru on feather-light feet, placing her hands on Nabooru's bare waist. Her expression turns serious when she takes in the stress carved into the other woman's features. "How are you faring, dear? This day has been long anticipated by us all, though I am sure none have dreaded it more than you."_

_Nabooru sighs heavily and embraces the woman before her, resting her forehead on the top of the shorter woman's head. "I have long feared this day would come." Nabooru mutters into her hair. "And the worst part is even though I disobeyed his orders and even though our last words to each other were not kind, all I can think about is how we were as children. I miss his friendship more than anything. I-I wish things did not have to turn out the way they did. I am not sure I can join the other Sages and put my old friend on trial. I don't know if I can meet his eyes..."_

_Saanvi pulls back when the other woman's voice breaks slightly. She brushes a single tear from Nabooru's cheek and smiles softly. "You may want to touch up your make-up before you serve on the trial." She says, gently. It seems to be a ploy to cheer Nabooru up and it seems to help slightly. The taller woman gives a small laugh, sniffing and gingerly wipes her wet eyes with careful fingers. "I know this is painful for you, my love, but you're in charge now." She taps the center of Nabooru's chest gently. "You need to think about what's best for the tribe. And as a Sage, you need to think about what's best for the world. We all remember him fondly but he isn't that man anymore. You know he will never be the same again after what Koume-"_

_"Do not speak their names!" Nabooru hisses._

_"After what his traitorous mothers did to him." Saanvi finishes. Nabooru inhales deeply, then nods. She steps back and takes the other woman's hands in hers, squeezing them gently. Amira can feel how her heart swells when she looks into Saanvi's warm eyes. She holds so much affection and love for Saanvi, it makes Amira's heart ache._

_"You are right. I am bound to my duty...I couldn't escape my destiny even if I wanted to." She mutters, and then she frowns. "I suppose Gan would say the same..."_

_"Don't think such dark thoughts." Saanvi urges, holding the sides of Nabooru's face in her warm hands. "You cannot afford to have doubts."_

_"Hmm. I hate to say it but you're right again." Nabooru mumbles. Saanvi gently presses her cheeks together, making her lips pucker and muffling her speech and giggles until Nabooru pushes her away, but a smile brightens her features proving she isn't truly upset with her lover's antics. It is adorable, really, how the shorter woman attempts to bring her spirits up._

_"I am always right! Now stop being so dark and brooding and come eat breakfast with me before you leave for Hyrule. You have a long journey to make." She pulls Nabooru into a quick kiss and then takes her hand, pulling the taller Gerudo woman out of the room._

 

_Amira's mind begins to follow Nabooru when she feels a strange tugging sensation. A voice appears in her mind, sounding far away and muffled as if underwater, but steadily growing more clear...._

"Amira?"

 

"Amira!"

 

_Something shakes her hard and like an elastic band snapping back into shape, she is suddenly ripped away from Nabooru's mind, coming back through thick darkness._

"Damn it all to hell. Amira, wake up!"

 

Amira gasps, eyes suddenly open. She's back in the library, lying on the cold stone floor. Ganondorf is there with a large hand on her shoulder, concern painting his features.

 

"Amira, what happened? Are you ill?" He seems genuinely worried for her, but Amira feels too shocked to speak just yet. She shakes her head in response, looking up at him with wide eyes.

 

His hand is still firmly on her shoulder. Amira can feel the heat of it through her shirts and jackets. She tries to sit and he moves to help her, sliding one hand under her back and holding one of her hands in his. His face is only inches from hers. His closeness overwhelms her. She feels too confused after the unexpected vision and that disturbing letter and she pushes him away without thinking. Though she immediately regrets the action when she sees the look of disappointment and worry on his face.

 

"I-I am fine, really." Amira tries to tell him but she knows he doesn't believe her. "I was, um, cleaning the floors and slipped on the wet stone. That's all that happened. I...I am ok."

 

The large Gerudo smirks and laughs softly, but his eyes hold skepticism. Amira doesn't think he completely bought her lie. "Well try to be more careful next time. How is your head?"

 

The back of her head does hurt. Amira feels the back of her skull with a shaky hand and feels a small bump where she must have struck the stone floor. "It hurts a little. Must have hit it when I fell..." Amira trails off. She feels the beginnings of a headache. "It's nothing though. I, uh, I think I will lay down for a little while, but I'll have dinner ready for tonight, I promise."

 

She slowly stands, refusing Ganondorf's help.

 

"Don't worry about it. I will eat with my army tonight." Ganondorf says, catching Amira utterly by surprise. "I survived off of their food for months at a time during the war and I'm sure can stomach it for one more night."

 

Amira opens her mouth to protest, but he raises a hand to silence her. "Rest tonight, Amira. I will see you in the morning."

 

Amira says something in reply, but is too distracted to realize what she said. Whatever it was, Ganondorf lets her leave. He stands at the desk for a long time, eyes inspecting the desk and the floor where the girl had lain moments before as he strokes his orange beard with a contemplative frown.

 

Amira does try to rest when she returns to her quarters, but anxious thoughts keep her awake, staring at the ceiling as she lies on the bed.

 

Her visions always used to come to her while asleep, never in the middle of the day. It had come on so suddenly, without any warning. One moment she had made an earth-shattering discovery and the next she was in someone else's body, finding herself in a memory that wasn't her own. And then she woke up to Ganondorf.

 

A very concerned and protective Ganondorf.

 

Out of all these strange and inexplicable happenings, two things are certain in her mind; that she has a mysterious connection to the Sage, Nabooru, and that Ganondorf was coerced into declaring the war. The Hylian King had manipulated his people, oppressing them until rebellion was their only option save death. It baffles her that the war had somehow played into the King of Hyrule's plans all along.

 

However in one time it hadn't.

 

Amira remembers what Zelda had told her weeks before. Somehow in a different version of events, Ganondorf actually _won_ the war. The King had anticipated, even _wanted_ , Ganondorf to declare war but he hadn't expected the Gerudo to go after the Triforce in order to win. He had severely underestimated Ganondorf's cunning and that had nearly led to the end of the world as Ganondorf had split the Triforce and lost himself to the piece of Power.

 

So what was different this time?

 

There was the Hero. He had returned from the future and with his knowledge of what was to come, he stopped Ganondorf's rebellion just as it started. But the boy still had a piece of the Triforce and somehow the other two pieces found their respective bearers across time.

 

And now Ganondorf is back, Hyrule is his, and yet he still retained his humanity. How did the Triforce of Power fail to consume him completely this time, while it had in the other? Perhaps the Hero and Ganondorf's banishment had changed things for the better in some strange way.

 

And how was Nabooru important in all of this? What do her visions mean?

 

She was a Sage. Amira doesn't fully understand what being a Sage means, but she knows it had something to do with the Goddesses. She had gathered with others like her to put Ganondorf on trial and to execute him. She said it was her duty, despite their long friendship.

 

She was his friend. That thought alone brings tears to Amira's eyes. It breaks her heart that they had to be parted that way. She understands why Ganondorf is so hesitant to speak of his past.

 

A sense of resolve settles in Amira, her mind finally quieting. She needs to find out what her visions mean. She remembers Telma's friend, Kina, who is something of a psychic. If anyone could shed light on her connection with Nabooru's memories, it would be her. Besides, Amira has been worried for her Aunt ever since Ganondorf invaded Hyrule. She misses Telma terribly and longs to see her, if only to make sure her only living relative is all right.

 

However she doesn't know how she will convince Ganondorf to let her leave.

 

Exhaustion washes over her and Amira falls into an uneasy sleep. Her last thoughts before sleep takes her are of the Gerudo King and his odd gold eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

_Two young Gerudo stands on top of a sheer cliff made of rock as red as rust. Green grass fields stretch out bellow, as far as the eye can see, interrupted by a blue ribbon of water in the distance and the simple brown buildings and pastures of a small ranch. The gleaming white buildings of Hyrule Castle and the town around it glimmer far off in the distance._

_"It's beautiful, isn't it Gan?" The girl says. It's Nabooru's voice, though she is much younger, around sixteen. To her left is a tall youth, not a boy any more but not yet a man. He is clad in a vest and loose pants, red like fire and adorned with symbols embroidered in gold thread. The boy grunts moodily, looking out over the view with a scowl marring his young face._

_"I suppose." He grumbles, picking a red pebble from the dirt and throwing it absentmindedly over the edge. They both watch as the rock disappears in the valley bellow. If it landed, it didn't make a sound._

_"Oh come on Ganondorf, don't let the King's words get to you. I'm sure he didn't mean to insult you." Nabooru tries to calm him but the desert prince glowers back with angry golden eyes._

_"He called me_ boy _and talked down to me like a damn child. This was supposed to be my first meeting in Hyrule's court, my first duty as my people's leader! Do you know how long I've studied and prepared for this? I perform the trials in half a month and yet they still look down their stupid noses at me. Will the Hylians ever see me as an equal?"_

_"Sometimes you have to earn respect from others. I'm sure when you become King he will welcome you as an ally like the Gorons and Zora."_

_Ganondorf snorts and averts his eyes, looking back down the long canyon and into the desert wastes behind them._

_"I want to give my people everything they deserve. When I am king I will make sure we never suffer another summer of famine."_

_"I'm sure you will." Nabooru says softly, placing her hand comfortingly on his broad shoulder. Then she ruffles his short red hair. "But it'll be really embarrassing if you never beat your second in command in a wrestling match!"_

_Ganondorf shoves his friend playfully. "Do I have to teach you your place?" Nabooru shrieks with laughter when he tackles her. Red dust flies up around them as they wrestle. Both teenagers are impressively strong already after years of intense training and are evenly matched. After one mistake, Ganondorf slips and Nabooru gets the upper hand, wrapping her legs around his waist from behind and putting him into a headlock._

_"You're too impatient! You'd win if you could ever learn to calm your mind." Nabooru scolds as she pins him on the red ground._

_"Meditation is for the weak!" Ganondorf's foot swipes at Nabooru's leg, knocking her off balance and he flips her down, laying on her back to pin her with his weight._

_"AHA! Say I win!" He cries triumphantly with a wide grin._

_"You've got to lay off those seed cakes, fatty. You're so heavy." Nabooru groans underneath him._

_Their laughter echoes around the canyon walls as the two young Gerudo brawl in the rest dust. For a moment they are children again, forgetting their fast-approaching adulthood and all of its heavy responsibilities._

*****

   
The morning brings an exhaustion so complete it seems to permeate all of her being, soaked into her bones and muscles. Her headache from yesterday is gone, replaced with a stiff, aching neck and she finds herself with less will to move than a lizard on a hot rock.

 

Amira did not sleep well. Her mind was too full and it refused to quiet. Thoughts about the ancient war, Ganondorf, Nabooru, and Hyrule would barely her rest. At some point she had slipped into unconsciousness enough to have another strange dream but she doesn't remember being asleep for long.

 

When she does get up to begin her morning tasks, her body screams in protest. She works with a distracted air, often finding herself in the middle of a task she doesn't remember beginning. When she enters the library, she finds a large heap of ancient parchment on Ganondorf's desk but the Gerudo is nowhere in sight. Curiosity pulls her towards the papers. With a thrill, she realizes they are all ancient letters adorned with the seal of the Royal Family.

 

The sound of heavy footfalls causes Amira to freeze with a crumbling letter in hand. Looking down the long rows of shelves, she sees Ganondorf pacing frantically, hands balled into gigantic fists, with a miasma of livid anger surrounding his hulking form. Sometimes she gets the impression that his anger has a life of its own. There are times when his rage seems alive, swirling around the impressively tall man like a demonic cloud. A golden glow at his side draws her eye to the divine mark on his left hand, which is pulsing in time with his energetic steps. Turning on a heel, he starts down the hallway between the shelves, approaching the desk and the red-haired, blue-eyed woman behind it. He doesn't seem to see her until he is standing before her. Amira notices he is panting. His canines seem more prominent than normal and his eyes glow faintly, reminding her of the frightening beast form she found him in weeks previously.

 

"Ganondorf?" Amira steps out from behind the desk, approaching him. Though he is intimidating to be sure, she no longer fears him. If he were to harm her, he would have done so long ago.

 

His eyes meet hers and with a low, snarling voice he speaks. "Did you read that letter?"

 

Taken aback, Amira steps back slightly. Maybe she was wrong to think he wouldn't harm her. "I did." She confesses, looking him straight in the eye.  _Not afraid of you. Not afraid of you._ She repeats the phrase in her head like a mantra as she stands her ground before him.

 

"Do you know what it means?"

 

Amira nods.

 

Ganondorf resumes his angry pacing though the beastly aura diminishes somewhat. "I knew that rat-faced bastard was up to something!" Ganondorf grabs a vase in his large hand and with a clench of his fist the porcelain shatters in a million pieces. Amira flinches at the splintering sound. "He _knew_! He violated the treaty _on purpose_! The war played into his damned hands all along and I bit the fucking bait!"

 

Amira stands stock still as Ganondorf rages. He has every right to be angry but his immense strength and power make her uneasy. She needs to stop him before he gets out of control.

 

Ganondorf turns towards her and through the hot rage she can see immense pain and sorrow in the lines of his face. "I thought a war would show those Hylian dogs that the Gerudo were not to be trifled with! I thought we could win with the power of the Goddesses on our side but no. No amount of Hylian blood will be enough for Hyrule's treachery! Why shouldn't I wiped out the lot of them like they tried to do to my people?!"

 

"Ganondorf, stop!" Amira reaches for his balled up fists, her hands passing through the crackling dark purple energy that's swirling around his hands. He feels cold as ice when she reaches through the miasma to touch him. The dark purple cloud burns her skin like fire, or maybe extreme cold, but she refuses to let go. Ganondorf gasps and flinches slightly in her grasp as if burned by her warmth, but the dark energy slowly dissipates and he stands before her, panting and shaking in the aftermath of his rage.

 

Amira raises her head to look him dead in the eyes and tightens her grip on his clenched fists. His eyes slowly clear and he stares at her in wide-eyed bewilderment.

 

"Don't spill innocent blood out of want for revenge or power, Ganondorf! Don't be the monster Hyrule wants you to be! You-you'll just be playing right into what they think of you, what they think of all of us! I understand your pain. I know this kingdom has wronged you, has wronged _us,_ horribly, but if you give into your anger and pain, it will only leave you more alone and empty than you were before."

 

Neither of them speak for a long time. The sounds of Ganondorf's angry panting diminishes as he begins to slowly show signs of calming down. All the while, Amira keeps her eyes on his face, waiting patiently as his strong jaw and the thick corded muscles in his neck soften and his brow unknits. It feels like an eternity before Ganondorf's hands finally relax in her grip. He unclenches his fists and wraps his large hands around hers. A heavy sigh escapes from his lips and his shoulders sag as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from them. 

 

"Are you alright, my lord?" Amira asks him tentatively, studying his features for something,  _anything_ , that could tell her what he is currently thinking.

 

With a small snort, he nods. 

 

"I am quite alright. Its just...you speak with a surprising amount of wisdom for your age." He mutters. "It reminds me of someone I once knew."

 

"Who?"

 

"Someone I had once considered a friend a very long time ago." Ganondorf says. Though he falls quiet, Amira can see a small struggle behind his eyes. There is something left unsaid as if he has more he wishes to say. She waits expectantly.

 

"We grew up together." Ganondorf continues after a moment. "I suppose you could say she was my closest friend. We completed our trials in the same year and once I was crowned I appointed her as my second in command...but in the end she betrayed me. She opposed my plan to wage war against Hyrule and had formed a rebellion behind my back, without my knowledge. Later she served on my trial..."

 

Amira's heart aches at the sorrow and pain in his tone and the regretful look in his eyes. With little thought she reaches up, running her fingers through his orange beard gently. "Nabooru regretted the loss of your trust and friendship. It pained her just as much as it pains you." She says softly. Ganondorf gives her a surprised look. "You both did what you thought was best."

 

"What-how do you know of her?" Ganondorf asks incredulously, stepping back.

 

"Yesterday after I read that letter I had a vision of Nabooru before your trial. She spoke of her regret. She had a duty gather with the rest of the Sages, but she deeply regretted how everything turned out. She didn't want to cast you out, Ganondorf, but she did not know of any other way."

 

The Desert King remains frozen, unmoving with his golden eyes fixed on Amira, lips parted in surprise. Amira continues. "I have dreamt of the desert since I was a little girl. It was always the same dream of riding through sands and canyons, feeling the wind in my hair. I always felt so free in that dream and when my life became unbearable, I would escape to that place in my mind. I had never seen the desert before. I only heard of it in stories my mother and the elders told. But when you came, my dreams started to change. I've seen you riding off to raids with your sisters, I've seen them dance in the desert night...I saw Nabooru plead for asylum before the Hylian King after the oasis dried up and saw how he laughed in her face and enslaved her people. In all of my dreams, Nabooru has been there. I am not even sure if they are dreams. My aunt thought they were more like someone's memories and I think they are Nabooru's. I think someone is trying to show me something. I have this weird feeling that I'm here with you for a reason..."

 

Ganondorf stares at her for a long moment. "Why did you not tell me sooner?" 

 

"I didn't know my visions were important. For a long time they were just random glimpses into the lives of my ancestors. Then when you left I saw more of the war and what happened to the Gerudo afterwards, but I wasn't sure how to tell you about them even then. I...I didn't think you would have believed me...or cared." Amira casts her eyes down. She does wish she had told him sooner. There just never seemed to be a good time.

 

"You should have told me. Visions are not things to be taken lightly. They are very rarely unconnected to a larger purpose."

 

"I know a woman in Castle Town who might be able to help me decipher them. Her name is Kina. She's a fortuneteller and a friend of my aunts. She isn't a fraud like most of them. Her predictions are usually very accurate. I-I understand if you don't trust me to leave the castle. Send me with a guard if you wish but I need to see her. I need to know who is showing me these things and why." Amira lays it all out, silently hoping he agrees with her.

 

After a moment of deliberation, Ganondorf speaks. "I cannot say I am thrilled with the idea." Amira's heart sinks. "But I agree these visions should not be ignored. Nabooru was the Sage of the Spirit Temple and if you do indeed have a connection with her, you might have a connection with Din as well, as she is connected to the Temple and the patron Goddess of our people. You may seek her out tomorrow morning. You may have the day but be sure to return before nightfall."

 

A flood of relief washes through Amira. She is so happy he seems to trust her and is ecstatic about the idea of seeing the town again and hopefully Telma. Overjoyed, she thanks him and wraps her arms around his waist, pulling him into a hug. He gasps, frozen in surprise, but then she feels his arms around her and she smiles into his chest. She doesn't see the small smile on his face and the fond look in his eyes as he stares down at her.

 

*****

 

Amira finds Ganondorf waiting in the castle courtyard, in front of the gigantic wooden doors that separate the castle grounds from the long stone bridge leading to town. Pulling her cloak tight around her against the frigid wind, Amira approaches him and the gates. Her heart is pumping wildly in her chest. She can barely contain her excitement at the thought of escaping the cold, drafty, desolate halls of the castle, if only for a short while.

 

The past two months have been an adventure beyond her wildest imaginings and the Gerudo King has given her much more freedom and opportunity than anyone had ever given her before. Nonetheless, Hyrule Castle have been an inescapable prison. Nothing could erase the fact that Amira was not able to stray beyond its tall stone walls.

 

But now she can finally leave, if only for a day.

 

Amira comes to a stop before the giant doors. She turns to look at Ganondorf's form towering over her. She is surprised to see the concern and anxiety stressing his features.

 

"Be cautious, Amira." Ganondorf urges her. "Stay vigilant and no matter what, return before dusk."

 

Amira almost laughs. She thinks he is being paranoid and a trifle ridiculous. She is just going to town. The most dangerous thing to ever happen in Castle Town in her lifetime was an untamed stallion that had gotten free from a horse trader's stall one day and stampeded through the narrow streets, nearly mowing down anyone in his path. What could he be worried about?

 

"I'll be fine! I'm just going to town for a few hours. You don't need to worry about me escaping. I have no reason to run from you."

 

The corner of Ganondorf's lip twitches in a smile that appeared just as fast as it left. "I'm not worried about that." He assures her, placing a large gloved hand on her shoulder. "It is your safety I fear for."

 

"Nothing is going to happen. I'll just be a little ways down the South Road, close to the town square." Amira tries to reassure him but that worried look won't leave his eyes. It's starting to unnerve her.

 

Ganondorf says nothing. He looks back towards the castle grounds and snaps his fingers. On cue a lone Bulbin soldier walks out from behind a row of hedges. The cloth mask over his lower face marks him as one of the archers. Amira looks back and forth between her Bulbin guard and Ganondorf, surprised and hurt that he doesn't trust her not to attempt an escape. When she opens her mouth to protest, he holds a hand up, stopping her.

 

"I trust you, Amira. Like I said, it is only your safety that I worry for. This guard is for your protection, not to keep you prisoner."

 

The Bublin takes his place beside her silently. She figures he probably can't communicate with her except by gesture. She only knows a select few Bulbins who can speak rudimentary Hylian.

 

The hand on her shoulder moves up to frame the side of her face. Surprised, Amira averts her eyes from her guard and meets Ganondorf's golden-eyed gaze. He is so close. The tip of Amira's nose nearly touches the armor covering his vast chest.

 

"Return to me safe." He repeats, his deep voice almost a whisper. His other hand cups the other side of her face, thumbs tracing the line of her jaw. Suddenly time seems to slow and Amira is overly aware of her heart thudding quick in her chest, how breathless she feels at his gentle touch, and how he's gazing at her through half-lidded eyes.

 

She parts her lips to say something but before she can speak, strong, warm lips catch hers and her thoughts spin away.

 

Ganondorf kisses like a storm. Raw power and energy sparks through her lips as he kisses her tenderly, yet firmly. Amira clutches the fabric of his cloak tightly in her fists, drawing herself impossibly closer as she kisses him back. Held-back passion dances between them like electricity as they move together slowly and carefully.

 

Too soon, Ganondorf pulls back, looking at her with that gravely serious expression and without a word he tears his gaze away, turning from her. He retreats back to the castle, dark cape whipping and twisting with the icy wind in his wake. Amira follows his retreating form with wide eyes. Her mouth hangs open wordlessly in shock.

 

The Bulbin guard makes a snorting sound, startling Amira out of her trance. He stands at the giant double doors, green-clawed hands resting on the massive wooden beam baring them shut. He looks at her with small yet expressive red eyes. The Bulbins are masters of silent communication. Shaking herself, Amira nods giving him the go ahead to open the gates. With grunts of exertion, the Bulbin lifts the heavy bar and drops it to the side. He heaves a door open enough for them to slip out. All the while, Amira stares at the empty courtyard and the closed castle doors. The memory of Ganondorf's kiss replaying over and over in her mind.

 

The bulbin makes an angry growl, startling Amira out of her thoughts. She looks back at him and the view on the other side of the open door.

 

Amira is floored by the sight.

 

A semi-transparent wall of energy blocks her passage across the bridge into town. Gold and black waves dance across its surface. Beyond the barrier Amira thinks she can see a hint of fluffy white clouds and blue sky. The light of day. She looks back at the dark courtyard, shroud in the flat orange light of twilight. And back through the barrier at the sunshine.

 

"You mean Castle Town has been free of the twilight all this time?!" She yells, utterly confused. To his credit, he only raises an eyebrow at her. She doubts he can actually understand her anyway. "What-what the hell! Why would he keep this from me?! Why is this even here?! Why-" The Bulbin grunts and roughly grabs her hand, pulling her through the barrier behind him.

 

It is the strangest feeling. The barrier had looked solid and electrical, like it would hurt to touch, but Amira just feels cold as she slides through it; cold and compressed on all sides as if shroud in a dense, thick fog.

 

On the other side Amira's spirits immediately lift when she feels the sun on her face for the first time in months. Real sun. Its warm, strong rays lightly touch the exposed skin on her face, neck and hands. It feels wonderful, indescribable. For a moment she just stands on the stone bridge with her face up-turned towards the sky, eyes closed in bliss as she soaks in the sun's light and warmth.

 

"Beuroch ugalich." The Bulbin guard mutters under his breath interrupting Amira's peace. She knows what that phrase means, as she's heard it countless times by now. It's Bulbin slang for Hylians, roughly translating to 'pointy-eared idiot'.

 

"Hey! I understood that!" Amira yells after him, rushing to follow the short, green being. Despite their short legs, Bulbins are surprisingly fast walkers.

 

Together the Gerudo and Bulbin cross the stone bridge to castle town. With every step, Amira feels more energy, more excitement thrumming through her veins. Thoughts of her visions, Ganondorf's strange concern, and the feeling of his lips on hers all fade away as she approaches the town. All she can think is that she is finally going home.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a nice long chapter for y'all! I'm leaving in just a few hours for a week-long wilderness survival training my work is paying for and I wanted to get this posted before I go off grid for a few days. So excited to learn new stuff! If I don't get eaten by a bear, I'll be back with a new chapter in a few weeks.

The town square is bright and bustling with people as usual. The fountain in the square's center is flowing just as it always has with crystal clear water from the Zora River. Hylians, Gorons, Zora, and the occasional Gerudo woman, with their individual blends of Hylian and ancient Gerudo features, pass through the square. Amira walks out into the square in a daze, leaving the castle and its dark barrier of twilight behind.

 

Everything looks so _normal_.

 

There are some slight differences from when she was last in town two months previously, which Amira notices quickly. That old upscale shop, with prices so high it excluded all but the richest nobles, is gone, replaced with a new vibrant storefront promising bargain prices for a plethora of wares.

 

"Malo Mart?" Amira mutters quizzically, reading the big, boisterous sign from across the town square.

 

There are also Bulbin soldiers walking amongst the usual inhabitants and visitors of Castle Town. People seem to give them a wide berth. Two of the green-skinned soldiers stand at a shop cart, scarfing down skewers of meat and Amira notices no one else seems to approach the cart. In fact, the sea of people diverts around them like water around a giant rock. The soldiers catch the eye of Amira and her guard and the Bulbins give a single nod of the head in greeting. Amira notices there is far less idle chatter in the square, which is renown as the center of all the gossip and trade in the kingdom. Occasionally people briefly glance in the castle's direction at the pulsing dark energy surrounding its tall, white towers, then drop their gaze and hasten their pace.

 

There is an air of fear in Hyrule, previously unknown in the peaceful kingdom for the past two hundred years.

 

In truth, Ganondorf never let on how he governed the kingdom and her duties kept her busy enough that Amira had rarely thought about what kind of ruler he was. Now was her chance to find out.

 

Amira hastens through the crowded square towards the South Road, straight across from the castle bridge. She knows her task is to visit Kina and that she must return before dusk to avoid violating Ganondorf's shaky trust and encoring his wrath, but she can't resist checking Telma's bar. She has to find her aunt. She has to make sure Telma is alive and well. Her guard follows her closely, nearly on her heels as she all but runs towards the little side street that marks the ally to Telma's Bar.

To her relief, the bar is still standing and still open for business.

 

Amira rushes to the door. Her hands shake when she reaches for the handle. She is unsure of what she will encounter inside. She hopes Telma is still running the place and that the transfer in power between the Royal Family and Ganondorf has not harmed her.

 

With a deep breath, Amira grips the door handle and pulls the tavern door open, stepping inside.

 

The dull white noise of chatter, the glow of the low lighting and the smells of smoke and alcohol bring back strong memories. She feels as if she strode through these doors only yesterday, but also as if she has been away for a thousand years. Nothing has changed in this place, which she has always considered to be a second home. Yet, Amira realizes how much she has changed in two months. She knows too much about Hyrule's history, too much about sacred powers and deep, dark political secrets. She has more knowledge then she was ever meant to have and she just now realizes how much it has changed her.

 

Amira scans the large, low ceilinged room. No Telma in sight, either at the front or behind the bar. Only a set of empty glasses and a dirty rag tell Amira someone is tending the bar. All chatter in the room ceases as the crowd notices her, a young woman and her unlikely companion, in an establishment reserved for men. Amira's guard steps in front of her in a manner that seems unexpectedly protective and growls a deep menacing growl, glaring at the Hylian men. At once, the men drop their gazes to their drinks. Uncomfortable silence permeates the room as Amira strides up to the bar, eyes still searching the bar hopefully.

 

A woman opens the door to the backroom with her hip, backing out of the door with a heavy keg in her large arms. Amira's heart lifts with joy and relief at the sight of her aunt.

 

With a grunt, Telma heaves the keg on her hip and shuts the door with her foot, spinning around to face the bar.

 

"Oh!" Telma exclaims, nearly loosing her balance in her surprise when she sees the face of her niece. She drops the wooden keg, which hits the floor with a dull thud. "Amira! Oh my darling is that really you?"

 

"Telma!" Amira cries. They both reach across the bar to embrace and hot tears flow freely down her cheeks as she cries into Telma's broad shoulder. "Yes! Yes it's me! I'm so happy you're alright!"

 

"Come behind the bar, dear and let me see you!" Telma urges, wiping tears from her amber eyes. Amira complies and her Bulbin guard leaves her to occupy a dark corner of the bar, swiping a frothy pint of ale from an unsuspecting Hylian. The man doesn't make a fuss and the Bulbin soldier leans against the wall in the corner, sipping his stolen beer and surveying the silent room with his small red eyes.

 

"What happened to you that horrible night? All of the castle staff fled and many of the poor servant girls sought shelter here. They said you led them to the tunnels but that you fell behind! Oh, Amira I thought you had died!"

 

Amira takes in the sight of her distraught aunt. Telma had always been a figure of protection and strength for her. She had replaced Amira's mother as her caretaker after her sister died and even though Amira was sent to take her mother's place in the castle soon after, Telma had sent her food, money, clothes and anything else she could possibly need, and Amira had frequently visited her. Amira only saw the woman cry one other time in her life and felt surprised and warmed by the woman's tears over her. No one else in the world cared for her like Telma did.

 

"I-I'm so happy everyone made it out safe!" Amira says through her tears. Tremendous relief washes over her, bringing a fresh wave of tears. "I was so worried! I thought about everyone every single day!"

 

" Where have you been all this time? Why couldn't you have found me sooner, dear child?" Telma implores, pulling back from their long embrace to study her niece.

 

"I stayed behind in the castle," Amira begins. She doesn't know how much to tell her aunt. So much has happened. She knows so much now. What would Telma think if she told her the truth about Hyrule and the Gerudo? Would she believe her?

 

Telma gasps. "Did that evil man hold you as a prisoner? Oh I don't care if he's the king, I will march right up there and skin him alive if it's the last thing I-"

 

"No!" Amira was worried her aunt would jump to conclusions like this. Telma was always fiercely protective of her. Throughout the tight knit social circles of their people, she was jokingly compared to a mother bear. "I fell behind in the tunnels that night. I tripped over a loose stone and fell and I must have blacked out. Ganondorf found me in the tunnels and he actually gave me a job as his head servant. I'm in charge of the whole kitchen and the off-duty soldiers and I serve him directly. He's actually, well, he isn't quite the evil villain people think he is..." Amira trails off, flushing with embarrassment as she remembers all he shared with her. She never meant to develop such strong feelings for the Gerudo King over the past two months, and he seemed to feel the same way if that kiss was any indication.

 

Telma studies the younger woman carefully before speaking. "Did he brainwash you?"

 

"No."

 

"Did he take advantage of you? Has he made you do anything you don't want to do?"

 

"Goddess, Telma! No!"

 

 _This is harder than I thought._ Amira thinks. She wonders what happened under Ganondorf's rule to instill such hate in Telma's eyes. Was her distrust coming from what everyone learned from Hyrule's altered history books? Or was it warranted by something the man did?

 

"What happened that night, Telma? I was surprised to see castle town looking normal, well, relatively. There has been this odd twilight around the castle for months and I didn't know the town was free from it! Tell me everything I missed here these past months."

 

"At first when Lord Ganondorf invaded, the whole world went dark and for days after we lived in this strange constant dusk. There were these horrible black-skinned monsters everywhere and hardly anyone left their homes out of fear but then after a week or so the darkness just, well, disappeared! There were rumors that the heir of the Hero from the old legends had come to save us! We looked after a couple of children from Ordona Province here at the bar for a while and the young Zora prince too, who was gravely injured when he escaped an attack on Zora Domain. A strapping young man was here the other day wearing odd green clothes and he helped me escort those poor kids back to Kakariko. I think he went by the name of Link. You've missed quite a lot these past few months, dear!"

 

An attack on the Zora's homeland? Amira is stunned. All this time she thought Ganondorf had only gone after Hyrule. Why did the Zora need to suffer as well? And what about the Gorons?

 

Telma's gaze shifts to glare at the Bulbin in the corner, who had finished his stolen beer by now and was in the process of intimidating another Hylian to procure another. "Why is that monster guarding you if you aren't his prisoner?"

 

Telma's question startles Amira out of her thoughts. "He assigned that Bulbin to me as a guard. He said it was for my protection though he didn't say from what. He seemed quite worried for me this morning actually." Amira feels a sharp twist of anger in her gut when Telma calls her guard a _monster_. It reminds her of the horrible nicknames the Hylians give their people. She had never realized the Bulbins experienced the same sort of injustice until she lived and worked amongst them. The unfairness of prejudice has come to anger Amira more than anything else.

 

Telma is caught off guard by Amira's casual mention of the Gerudo warlord's concern for her. "You seem to be quite _familiar_ with him." There is a tilt to her tone that sounds slightly scolding, but then her amber eyes soften and she raises a large hand to Amira's cheek. "Amira, I care for you as a mother would and as your guardian I can't help but feel worried for you when you speak of being close with this man. He is dangerous, my dear."

 

Amira shakes her head. Glancing around the bar for any listening ears, Amira drops her voice low. "That's what I believed too, I mean, at first. Telma, I don't expect you to change your mind about him immediately but I learned many things during my time in the castle. Ganondorf actually taught me how to read and write! I have been reading all I can about Hyrule's history, Hyrule's _real_ history, and I've been having more visions in my sleep. I've been shown what really happened at the end of the war and believe me, Telma, we were all told lies!"

 

"We should talk somewhere more private." Telma says. Amira has never seen her aunt so serious. All traces of her usual warm smile are gone except the laugh lines worn into her face with age. "Come with me upstairs dear. I'm sure nothing will get out of hand with that friend of yours watching the bar."

 

Amira gestures to the soldier to stay when he makes to follow her as she follows her aunt up the simple wooden staircase.

 

The upper floor holds Telma's modest living quarters. Her bed, a few chairs, and a simple kitchen occupy one room. Telma invites Amira to sit in one of the worn armchairs while she re-ignites the embers in her small iron stove, preparing to boil a kettle for tea.

 

"Amira, what did you mean when you said we were all told lies?" Telma asks, voice even and calm in a way that hints at how perturbed she really is. "Tell me about these dreams you've been having, child."

 

Telma sits back in her chair, listening intently as Amira recounts her visions. It is such a relief to tell her everything she learned; her dreams, Ganondorf's version of events, her meeting with Zelda, and how she learned to read and found the letters from the Hylian King detailing his true motives to drive the Gerudo into war and ultimately annihilation. Though it pains her to do so, Amira doesn't mention her feelings for Ganondorf yet or that he kissed her earlier that day. She tries hard to stick to the knowledge she has gained with the hope that Telma will come around so she can tell her aunt about the rest of it. When Amira finishes, she looks up at Telma over her mug of tea. Other than getting up to make the tea, Telma had not moved. The barmaid sits in contemplative silence with a slight frown, a rare expression for her. Amira privately muses about how Telma and Ganondorf would interact if they ever met each other and how comical it would be until Telma speaks, bringing her thoughts to focus.

 

"You have been so brave, Amira." Telma says softly. "I am so proud of you."

 

"So you believe me?" Amira asks incredulously.

 

"Yes, I believe you dear. Its just-" Telma pauses for a moment, as if preparing to speak candidly, yet carefully. "Its just that I'm afraid knowing all of this might not change things for us." Telma calmly raises a hand when Amira scoffs.

 

"I know that sounds harsh, but let me explain, dear." The woman sighs heavily and for a moment, she looks much older. "Our people have had a rough go of it in Hyrule, that is true. But our ancestors also struggled to survive in the desert. Hyrule has been our home for centuries now and here we do not suffer from famine, heat, or too few children. The Hylians have treated us with injustice, that is true, and it is true that nothing will make those wrongs right, my dear. But we cannot afford to fight violence with violence. Lord Ganondorf believed that violence and revenge were the best ways to solve the problems his people faced and it was that belief and his _pride_ that got our ancestors into that war and left them without a King. And now after two centuries he comes back and tries to upset everything with violence once again? He _was_ the King of our people, Amira, but he lost that title when he acted out of pride and arrogance and caused our people more suffering. I worry you may lose much if you follow him, possibly even your life. People are talking about the Hero. He is meant to battle Ganondorf and drive him out of Hyrule and I am a member of a resistance against Ganondorf that has promised to aid the Hero at all costs. I beg you, my dear, to join us. Loyalty to a tyrant like him is a loosing battle."

 

Amira is shocked and for a moment she is angry with her aunt, angry that Telma wouldn't take her side after everything she told her. But deep down, Amira knows Telma speaks the truth, at least the truth as far as most people understood it.

 

"Telma, I...I cannot betray him." Amira says quietly, voice barely a whisper. Her words fall into a cavernous silence. Amira can feel a painful distance growing between her and her aunt, which she has never felt before. She looks down at the scars of runes in her forearm and traces them gently. "For one thing, I carry a binding spell to him on my arm. And this may sound so foolish and naive to you, dear Aunt, but I-I have come to care for him very much. He is the only line we have to our people, to our old way of life. I have always wanted something like this, a chance to be a _real_ Gerudo. Our people may have lived in a desert but at least it was something they could protect and make their own! I still hope that he could teach us how to be Gerudo again...and despite all that he did, I think he can change. I've already seen so much change in him and I could never leave him now."

 

Amira hears a tired, heavy sigh come from across the room. She raises her head to meet Telma's eyes as the older woman looks on her with sympathy. "Oh my dear, you have fallen for him haven't you?"

 

"Yes. Yes I have." Her admission makes her heart swell. She never meant to develop feelings for the man who turned the world upside down, but in the first time admitting those feelings out loud, she realizes how true they are. She could never leave him, even if he really is the monster people think he is.

 

Telma gives another sigh and shakes her head. "Why couldn't you have fallen for one of those Hylian boys you were going out with?"

 

Both women laugh despite the heavy mood around them. "They weren't interesting enough I suppose." Amira says with a shrug, though her heart is still heavy with the realization that she and her aunt are now at odds.

 

Amira wishes she could spend the entire day with Telma. She missed her aunt fiercely and it felt incredibly good to be able to confide in her, even if they didn't share the same views. However several hours have past since she left the castle and Amira realizes the day must be approaching afternoon. After a tearful goodbye, Amira leaves for the Gerudo fortuneteller's shop down the East Road.

 

*****

 

The cheerful sounds of young girls playing reach Amira's ears as she enters the informal Gerudo district. Castle Town's East Road was always a dark, quiet corner with the doctor's medical clinic being the only building anyone visits on a regular basis but the narrow alleyways branching off from the desolate main road are full of life and color. Amira slips down one of the side streets, with street being a generous term. The corridors are barely wide enough for a single person to walk down. It is all just as Amira remembers; red-headed girls giggling and darting in and out of open doors, old women sitting on their doorsteps chatting, laundry hanging to dry in the narrow gaps between buildings, and the enticing smell of spices and meat wafting from open windows.

 

In many ways her people still lived as a tribe; sharing everything from food and water to clothes and the obligations of motherhood.

 

Amira turns down another alley, regretfully passing the homes of friends and wishing desperately that she had more time, but her visit with Telma went well into the early afternoon and she has to hurry. She walks quickly and purposefully towards a small storefront that sticks out among the residential buildings. It's the only shop in the area and hidden to anyone who was unaware of its presence. Amira parts the dark purple curtain that covers the doorway and steps into a dimly lit room. The walls are draped with more purple cloth, embroidered with gold calligraphy and intricate geometric patterns. Amira recognizes the calligraphy as ancient Gerudo script. Most Gerudo still recognize the writing of their ancestors and some have mastered it as an art form, though no one alive is able to read it. Flickering candles provide the only light in the dim shop and Amira peers through the darkness, trying to find the woman she has anticipated meeting.

 

"Hello? Kina? Anyone here?" She calls out. A beaded curtain separates a small back room from the main shop and Amira eyes it speculatively.

 

After a moment, an incredibly tall and rail-thin woman emerges from behind the curtain. Her curly red hair adds to her height, piling high atop her head in a dark red Afro, which is currently pulled back from the long, angular features of her face by a wide purple and gold band. The woman smiles warmly at Amira and opens her arms to greet her.

 

"Amira!" The woman greets her, voice calm yet full of warmth. She doesn’t seem surprised at all to find Amira in her shop, which is unnerving. "I have long been expecting a visit from you."

 

Amira's eyes widen in surprise as they embrace. "You have?"

 

"Yes, child. Visions of you kept coming to me in my meditations over the past two lunar cycles. There is an aura of great danger and peril around you, Amira."

 

"An aura? What do you mean, Kina?" She didn't believe her situation to be perilous, though after Ganondorf's fuss over her this morning, she wonders if Kina is on to something.

 

"I will explain but first you must tell me the meaning of your visit, dear. You have not come here merely for pleasure." Kina studies Amira's face, as if she could read her emotions like a book. Kina is a life-long friend of Telma's and Amira grew up knowing her as if she were another aunt, however the middle-aged woman's uncanny ability to read people always unsettled her. "Come make yourself comfortable in the reading room, dear. I will make us tea."

 

Kina gestures to the beaded curtain with a thin hand, long fingers adorned with rings. The mystic had become well known over the years and her clients have included Hylian nobility and traveling Zora merchants as well as her main clientele of neighborhood Gerudo women. She takes payment for her services in many forms and is especially fond of jewelry.

 

Amira follows her gesture after giving her thanks. She removes her shoes and passes through the long strands of beads into a tiny, dimly lit room with a small round table in the center. Plush brightly colored pillows on the rug take the place of chairs and Amira takes her place at the round, low table, sitting cross legged on the floor. While Kina is preoccupied, Amira takes the time to study the mysterious objects littering the many shelves in the small room. Crystals, jars filled with strange substances, bones, dice, cards, and many other occult paraphernalia crowd the narrow room, which is about as a large as a closet. A large crystal ball rests on a wrought iron stand in the corner.

 

The swishing noise of the beaded curtain alerts Amira of Kina's presence behind her. The fortuneteller rounds the table and sets a tray with a steaming teapot and two cups on the small table. Kina gracefully sits across from Amira and adjusts her many shawls and scarves around her tall form. She silently pours the tea and hands Amira her cup before speaking.

 

"Tell me, Amira, what brings you here to see me?" Her voice is calm, smooth and deep. It reminds Amira of honey.

 

"I've been having dreams of our ancestors and the desert. I used to dream of the desert before Lord Ganondorf came but they were always the same dream but they have been different since everything changed. I've been dreaming of a woman named Nabooru. Sometimes in my dreams I'm just watching but other times I'm actually in her body, seeing through her eyes and feeling what she feels. I think I'm dreaming of events that have actually happened and they all concern the war and Ganondorf. I came to you because I thought you could help me figure out what I'm supposed to do. It feels like someone is showing me these things on purpose and I...I think I'm supposed to do something but I don't know what."

 

"Hmm." Kina hums as she stirs a lump of sugar into her tea with a contemplative look on her face. "Yes, I do remember Telma telling me about your dreams many months ago. However that was before all of _this_ happened and before your dreams began to change. Then I thought you were living a memory in your dreams, one passed down from our ancestors perhaps. And now it seems my suspicion was correct. You may be living Nabooru's memories in your dreams, which is very interesting indeed. But the real mystery is _why._ "

 

"She seemed important. Ganondorf said they grew up together and that she was his second in command. I saw her lead the tribe after Ganondorf was exiled and I've heard that she was part of a group called the Sages who cast him out in the end. I just don't understand why _I_ have a connection with her? I'm not important at all! I...I'm just a servant."

 

Kina shakes her head, gazing at Amira with sympathetic golden eyes. She raises a jewelry-laden hand to touch Amira's chin with the tips of her long fingers and gives her a knowing smile. "You are more than just a servant. While I don't truly know why Nabooru's spirit has reached out to you, I certainly have a hunch. You may be her heir, Amira."

 

"Me? Nabooru's heir?" Amira whispers breathlessly. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she descended from anyone remarkable.

 

"It is quite possible."

 

"Is-is there any way I could know for sure?"

 

Kina sits in thought for a long moment.

 

"Normally no. While communicating with the departed is not unheard of, most people's spirits are not strong enough to make contact with even a well-trained medium. However Nabooru was a Sage. Her spirit would be strong, connected directly to the Goddesses. And if you are truly her heir, I may be able to sense that connection in you."

 

"Kina, what is a Sage?"

 

"The three Golden Goddesses departed from this realm after the creation of our world and are unable to directly interfere with this realm. Eons ago, the Goddesses selected representatives, so to speak, of each race in Hyrule to guard their temples and to bestow some of their divine wisdom so that the world may be protected from evil. Those representatives were called the Sages, yet they remained oblivious to their divine charges until the need arose for them to awaken. Two hundred years ago, the need arose and the Hero of legend is said to have woken them. As the descendants of the first Sages, they gathered together for the first time in millennia to banish the Gerudo King, Ganondorf. Obviously, he has returned and if you truly are Nabooru's heir, you might be a Sage as well and if that is true, your fate may be quite important indeed."

 

"How do we know for sure then?" Amira asks. Her heart is hammering in her chest. She has never needed to be sure of something so badly in all her life.

 

Kina gives a small crooked smile. Amira would say it's almost mischievous. The fortuneteller places her thin, bangle-laden forearms on the table, palms open and upturned.

 

"Place your hands in mine and close your eyes."

 

Kina's voice is quiet, yet commanding and deep. Her gold eyes are already closed and she sits tall and straight with her face upturned towards the dark ceiling as if listening for something. Amira attempts to swallow her mounting nerves as she places her hands on top of the mystic's open palms and closes her eyes.

 

"Now empty your mind...let all your thoughts and expectations melt away..." Kina's soft, low voice flows into Amira's ears like molasses.

 

She focuses on the warmth flowing between their palms, the soft glow of candlelight that she can barely detect through her closed eyelids, and the soft sounds of their breathing. Her breath slows and her limbs feel heavy as if she is falling asleep.

 

"Nabooru, Sage of the Spirit Temple, are you here with us?" Though she poses the question, Kina's voice remains low and calm.

 

The room falls quiet for a long moment. Nothing seems to change. Amira realizes this and feelings of disappointment and impatience break her meditative state.

 

"Keep your mind empty, Amira. Sometimes spirits are hard to reach, even the powerful ones."

 

Though surprised and slightly unnerved that Kina seemed to detect Amira's mood and thoughts so easily, Amira tries to bring herself back to that open, empty state, once again focusing on her breath, the warmth, the light...

 

"Nabooru, Sage of the Spirit Temple, are you here with us?" Kina repeats.

 

Nothing happens for a long moment, and then a small breeze stirs Amira's hair making her jump with surprise. The movement of air was barely detectable, like a whisper, but should not have been possible in the small room.

 

"Sage of Spirit, Speaker for the Goddesses, your wisdom and power have transcended time and space to bring us enlightenment in this time of need. We implore you to show us your presence, to show us the way."

 

The breeze grows stronger until it becomes a wind. The force concentrates around the motionless women at the table, circling around them like a cyclone. Their hair flows with the breeze and the wind tugs at their clothing, but the women sit strong, tall, and motionless through the supernatural storm. The cyclone widens and Amira feels suddenly released from the wind as the two Gerudo find themselves in the eye of the strange storm. A white light appears behind Amira's tightly shut eyelids, growing brighter and more brilliant until it's painful.

 

Then everything suddenly stops.

 

It's _hot_. Tremendously hot. Hot, heavy air encases her body like a blanket and she feels a gritty, burning substance underneath her legs where she sits. With a yelp, Amira opens her eyes and stands up to relieve her burning legs and gasps with surprise.

 

She is standing in the middle of a desert.

 

The hot burning ground she felt was sand heated by the midday sun, which is shining fiercely overhead in the azure sky. Before her is a massive statue hewn into a gigantic sandstone cliff wall. The stone figure is a woman with her forearms and palms upturned to the sky. An enormous snake is coiled around her body, with its fanged head resting atop the woman's. Where the statue's torso ends, an entrance into the cliff face beckons her with its promise of a cool respite from the relentless heat.

 

Bewildered and confused, Amira approaches the stairs leading to the stone pillars that mark the entrance into the cliff. _You aren't supposed to feel things like pain or heat in visions, right?_ She wonders as she climbs the stone steps. She can feel the air from inside rushing out to meet her, cool and inviting. Curiously she enters the cave, finding herself in a large cavern with a staircase at the other end and two imposing statues of snakes on either side, each bearing a sign written in the familiar, yet undecipherable Gerudo script.

 

Amira walks towards the center of the cavernous room, when suddenly a flash of light in front of her causes the half-Gerudo to freeze in her tracks. The fierce white glow fades to reveal a figure.

 

A woman stands before her, impressively tall and powerfully built. A red jewel glows like fire at her forehead. Her long white robes and red hair flow around her as if surrounded by a breeze, though the air in the rest of the cave is stagnant, despite being much cooler than the desert air outside. Amira is struck by the woman's beauty and the aura of power she holds in her muscular form.

 

 _So you finally tracked me down, huh?_ A deep, yet feminine voice echoes in Amira's mind, yet the woman before her doesn't move her mouth to speak and Amira's ears catch no sound other than her own breath.

 

"A-are you Nabooru?" Amira asks with a tremor of fear and awe in her voice. Her voice sounds too loud, echoing through the vast cavern.

 

_I am._

 

"Where am I?"

 

_We are in the Spirit Temple, in the Gerudo Desert. It is a pity the Gerudo have been separated from their temple for so long.... You have likely only heard of it in bedtime tales, Amira._

 

"Wait- how do you know my name?!" Amira asks incredulously. A grin spreads across Nabooru's face and she hears a light chuckle in her head.

 

_How could I not know the names of my descendants? That would be quite irresponsible of me. Especially since destiny has given you quite the task..._

Amira is filled with emotion. Nabooru, the leader of the Gerudo and a Sage, really is her ancestor, yet a sense of dread and foreboding quells her excitement at Nabooru's mysterious mention of her _destiny_.

 

"What do you mean by destiny? What is my task?"

 

 _My, my you ask a lot of questions!_ Nabooru's voice echoes in her head, light with humor. _However inquisitiveness is the mark of one of my own I suppose. It certainly got me in a lot of trouble back in my day! However I am sorry to say I cannot answer that question for you. Even with all my Sage-ness I can only know so much._

 

Nabooru's shade studies the evident disappointment on Amira's features with a knowing smile. _But I can tell you one thing. While it is written in the stars that you are destined to do something great, what you actually_ do _is your choice and your choice alone. Time and time again, you have come up against crossroads, Amira. You have had to make several choices already that have dramatically altered the future, yet the story is far from over. You are likely to butt up against the crossroads of fate several more times in the near future and your decisions in those moments will dictate the fate of the world._

 

"B-but how will I know which choice is the right one?!" Amira all but shouts, exasperated. She is getting tired of riddles. Sensing her frustration, Nabooru grins mischievously.

 

 _There lies the great dilemma._ The voice in Amira's head sighs. _The right choice is a funny, objective thing. You might find in your journey that your 'right choice' will not be the same as the 'right choice' in the eyes of another. In the eyes of the Goddesses, there is no true right direction for the world but peace and harmony should be your guide_.

 

"That makes no sense." Amira scowls, crossing her arms. It has been a long day and she feels like she hasn't gotten any answers despite all of her efforts.

 

 _It will in time._ After those last cryptic words, Nabooru's form begins to waver and slowly fade.

 

"W-wait!" Amira cries frantically, stepping forward towards the quickly disappearing form of her great ancestor. "I have so many more questions! Please don't go!"

 

_Goodbye, Amira..._

 

The sensations of the cool air and hard stone of the cavern floor disappear and the Spirit Temple begins to fade away as glowing white light replaces the scenery once more, growing brighter and brighter until it is all she can see, burning her retinas as if she stared into the sun.

 

Suddenly the white vanishes, replaced with blackness. Amira can once again hear her breathing, rapid and heavy as if she just ran a mile. She is gripping someone's hands tightly in her own.

 

"Open your eyes, Amira." It's Kina's voice again. With immense relief, Amira opens her eyes to the small room and her aunt's friend sitting before her with her red Afro in a disheveled mess around her face. "I think we found her spirit!" She says excitedly with an elated grin. "That's never happened for me before! What did you see?"

 

Amira recounts the whole experience excitedly to the Gerudo mystic. When finished, Amira eyes the older woman expectantly, wondering what her reaction will be.

 

"So we know you are of Nabooru's line." She says simply. "And we know you have important choices to make before you that will possible affect the fate of our world. Are you aware of what those choices might be?"

 

"I...no. I have no idea.” Amira mutters. She remembers her encounters with Zelda and Telma. Very few people see Ganondorf as the new king of Hyrule. Not even his own people. She has already had to choose between the Gerudo King and the Royal Family several times and each time she ended up choosing _him_. Did those choices really affect the fate of the world? Or was Nabooru referring to something else? Something bigger?

 

When they exit the reading room, Amira glances at the large grandfather clock in the corner (another thing Kina accepted as payment) and her jaw drops when she sees the time.

 

"Nine o'clock?! I've been here for hours!" She exclaims, turning to the unexpressive mystic, who merely raises an eyebrow. "I really need to go, Kina. I'm late. I, uh, what do you want as payment?"

 

"Don't worry about that, child. I wanted to help you as Telma's niece and as a friend I cannot charge you. Run along, and please come see me again."

 

With many thanks, Amira all but runs from Kina's shop, hurrying through the empty and dark side streets to reach the East Road. She fails to notice the unnatural quiet. This neighborhood is full of people at all hours of day and well into the night as neighbors and friends are typically visiting together until well past midnight. But tonight the streets are devoid of people, the doors are tightly shut, and blinds cover the windows.

 

Amira pulls her cloak tight around her shivering form. The temperature has dropped significantly since the afternoon. She can see her breath coming out in white steam as she approaches the main road.

 

A strange humming sound reaches her ears and her long, pointed ears flick forward at the unexpected noise. A glowing red gate materializes around her and Amira jumps back in shock, finding herself trapped. Her Bulbin guard draws his club, eyes darting around the ring of strange red light. Three black shapes fall from the sky and they are suddenly surrounded by gangly dark shapes that look disturbingly humanoid. Amira hears their familiar yet chilling sniffling and can vaguely make out masked faces in the dark.

 

She raises her arm, showing the runes on her forearm. She thought they must be part of Ganondorf's army, but the runes fail to glow and the black shapes slink menacingly towards the pair in the center.

 

"H-hey! I work under Ganondorf! I was coming right back to the castle I swear I wasn't going to do anything! I-"

 

One of the creatures leans its long neck back, beginning its strike. Amira screams and her guard jumps in front of her, beating the monster back with his club.

 

"W-what the hell is going on?!" Amira shrieks, watching the bulbin and the monster fight to the death before her. The other two monsters continue to approach her slowly. She kicks at their masked faces and swats away their long fleshy fingers but to no avail. The things surround her and one of them slings her on it's cold back easily as if she weighs no more than a sack of flour. The third monster deflects another blow from the Bulbins club and swings at his short legs with a long black arm, knocking the guard to the ground. Amira screams and covers her eyes as it stretches its neck and releases a disgusting red maw from what should be the center of its throat, tearing into the fallen Bulbin's torso. She feels a strange floating sensation and watches with terror as the ground falls away from her. Then her stomach drops and they begin to fall. She looks up and a scream rips from her throat at the sight of a gaping red portal above them. They're fast approaching the swirling red as they free fall impossibly upwards.

 

With a brilliant red flash, everything turns black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plz don’t hate me.


	14. Chapter 14

The bright red light fades to an endless void. Amira continues falling, now through a strange, featureless world of black. Her direction and speed are impossible to determine and all shape and color has disappeared from the world. Looking down at her body as she tumbles through space, Amira only sees herself in black and white shades. No air rushes past her as it had only moments before and only brief sparks of lights that glimmer ahead of her and speed past within moments tell her she's moving at all.

 

She falls towards a bright spark of light, which looms ever closer. The pinprick of light widens and seems to mix with the impenetrable blackness to morph into a terrifying vortex that seems to suck all light near it into its endless spiral. Amira clenches her eyes tight as a mute scream rips from her throat. Her body feels elongated, pressed in at all sides and stretched vertically, as she is helplessly pulled in by its inescapable gravity.

 

Then everything stops.

 

The falling sensation ceases abruptly and her eyes fly open only to be met with an alien world. There are no trees, no grass, no blue sky. A wasteland of cold, unforgiving stone stretches out before her as far as the eye can see, devoid of all life except the scraggy gray lichens that creep across the rocks. The sky looks as if it were made of fire; an infinite span of smoldering red-orange interrupted with bulbous black clouds. Before her an enormous obsidian fortress juts out of the dull gray ground, towering over the flat, desolate wasteland. Strange black particles slowly fall and swirl around her like snow.

 

Except on closer inspection, she realizes they are falling _upwards_.

 

Amira also realizes she isn't alone.

 

The sensation of eyes on her makes her skin crawl. Looking around, Amira spots the dark, hulking shapes of her captors crouching on all fours to her right, left, and rear. The tentacle-like hairs on the tops and bottoms of their masked heads wave slowly in her direction as they wait, fixated on her form.

 

Amira notices a tingling sensation spreading through her. It numbs her limbs as if they had fallen asleep and her skin feels taut. Aches in her joints begin to make themselves known, slowly growing more and more apparent. She can hear her heartbeat and blood rushing loud in her ears, muting all other sound.

 

Excruciating pain suddenly assaults every fiber of her being. Her lungs burn as she breathes the air, only intensifying as she begins to hyperventilate frantically as fear overtakes her. Her joints, bones, and muscles ache and burn. It is as if every cell in her body is repulsed by this place. The pain is too much to bear and Amira's legs give out. She falls to all fours, struggling even then to hold herself up. Shaking, she tosses her head back and screams, feeling her limbs creak and bend painfully.

 

The high-pitched wail morphs into a strange, inhuman cry and through the horrendous agony she hears sickening cracks, like the sounds of bones snapping and feels her limbs and face contort in a most bizarre and painful way. Her vision tunnels and she staggers on all fours, collapsing to the ground in a crumpled heap.

 

The three dark beings turn their featureless faces side to side, seeming to glance at one another wordlessly, before focusing their eyeless gaze on the motionless shape before them. The figures approach silently on fleshy, over-sized hands and feet. The long tendrils around their masks wave around the body, sensing it, before two of the creatures each grab a leg and begin to drag the unconscious form across the rocky wasteland towards the looming black castle ahead.

 

Amira's transformed body slides limply behind the figures. Thick tan fur speckled with black spots ruffles as they pull her, and long black claws scrape four thin lines in the soft ground, leaving a trail behind.

 

*****

 

Torrential rain raps against tall stained-glass windows and occasional flashes of lightening illuminate the dark throne room. Ganondorf's massive figure occupies the center throne, filling its shape. His tense, furrowed brow and the stressed lines under his eyes indicating several sleepless nights are barely illuminated by a few flickering candles.

 

_She's been missing for two days._

 

Ganondorf swipes a large hand down over his drawn face at the thought. He should have listened to his intuition. He should not have let her leave. He should not have let his affections for the girl get the best of him.

 

It was insane of him to think she would return such feelings.

 

The Gerudo King was no stranger to physical attraction. He had grown up being the sole male and leader of a tribe comprised solely of women. As soon as he had become a man, members of his tribe would come to him with requests to breed, especially during the years of drought and war when they weren't able to make the pilgrimages to Hyrule for trade and for acquiring mates. He had taken many lovers in his time and sometimes harbored certain affections for them, but it was always a duty for him, nothing more. It was just part of his duty to his people as their leader and sole male. Early on he had come to terms with the fact that he would likely never know things such as love. Being who he was never allowed for such luxuries.

 

But his situation had changed much since then and his long exile in the twilight realm had left him broken, jaded, and lonely. He had lost his mind there. He had been broken down until nothing but a shadow of his former self remained and since his return he has been slowly picking up the pieces.

 

He would never admit it out loud, but he wouldn't have been able to recover those pieces of himself without _her._

 

On that fateful day, he had decided to give her the benefit of the doubt when evening passed into night. The fact that he even considered refraining from judgment of her tardiness was a rarity, as he would never tolerate such a thing from his subordinates. But as the night wore on he had grown more anxious. By morning he concluded that she must have done what he feared would happen all along.

 

She ran from him.

 

 _Let her flee_. He thinks bitterly, clenching a gigantic fist. She is no different than the rest of them after all. Spineless, cowardly, and a traitor.

 

Yet if she truly is all of those detestable things, if she was lying and putting up a facade this whole time, then why did she rush to his aid even when he was at his lowest? Even when he was in the form of a beast, wretched, less than human? Why did she stay for so long? Perhaps she remained loyal to Zelda and acted to the contrary to protect her own life...

 

Tall double doors creak inward and a small band of Bulbin soldiers tromp down the long span of red carpet towards the throne leaving behind soiled boot prints and looking worn. They stop before the steps leading to the throne of Hyrule and bow low on one knee. The leader of the troop stands to speak in their guttural tongue.

 

"We've spent a full two days and a night searching every inch of the town and the surrounding fields. She is nowhere to be found and has left no trail. I am sorry to have failed you, my Lord."

 

Ganondorf's eyes glow with yellow light and he lifts his chin haughtily. "Failure is something I will not except from my army!" He growls in flawless Blin, slamming a hand hard against the stone chair. Startled, the band of Bulbin soldiers step back. "What of her guard? Any word of his return? A body?"

 

The members of the search party exchange furtive glances, some shuffling uncomfortably in their soaking armor before the leader summons the courage to speak to their powerful and intimidating lord. "We located the body of her guard in a small alley off of the East Road, near the Gerudo district. The throat and chest were ripped open. It looked like the work of a wild beast. The girl's body was no where in sight."

 

The Gerudo King's eyes widen at the gruesome news. It had never occurred to him that they had come against someone or _something_. He had a feeling of foreboding on the morning of her departure and felt compelled to caution her, to protect her if possible, but had not known what from. He has an inkling now as to what they came up against, or rather whom.

 

_The conniving, ungrateful little worm..._

 

Ganondorf growls and clenches both fists hard, cracking the leather of his gloves as hot rage bubbles up from that place deep within him. It always seems to lie in wait there, festering just beneath the surface, looming in the shadows even on the happiest of days. Dark purple energy crackles and swirls around him in his mounting fury. The bulbin troupe watches their master warily.

 

"Have you found any other evidence? A trail of blood perhaps?" He manages to speak in a quiet, deadly cold tone. However he's loosing control of himself quickly, his composure slipping away like grains of sand through his fingers.

 

The bulbins are quaking in their sodden boots. "N-no, my lord. Not a trace has been found and we combed the entire Gerudo district and the East Road for any signs of escape. The Gerudo witch confessed to seeing her around nine o'clock that night and that's the last any one has seen her. It's as if she vanished into thin air, my lord."

 

Ganondorf's rage erupts like a volcano. He _roars_ to the heavens as raw, unfettered magic releases from his hands like an explosion. The captain stands his ground, too afraid to anger his lord further by fleeing, but the rest of the troupe has deserted him, high-tailing it out of the throne room out of fear for their lives.

 

Some of the dark magic slams into the pillars, cracking the stone with its tremendous force and the rest dissipates into the air, crackling and wavering menacingly like a dark thunderhead as it fades out of existence. Panting with rage, Ganondorf stands on the elevated dais, towering over his one remaining soldier, who is managing to retain a semblance of stoicism.

 

"Leave me." He growls quietly.

 

"I beg your pardon, my lord?"

 

"LEAVE ME!"

 

To his credit and unwavering loyalty to his lord, the captain maintains a stolid composure and bows in acknowledgement. Only his brisk walk towards the large double doors betrays his eagerness to leave.

 

Finally alone, the Gerudo king continues to rage. All his anger, regret, and sorrow pour out of him as he casts raw energy, destroying walls and pillars. He can't forgive himself for his shortsightedness. He can't believe he didn't see this coming.

 

Ganondorf lets loose another ear-splitting roar, thrusting a gigantic fist into the gilded backing of the throne, splitting it into.

 

"ZANT!"


	15. chapter 15

When Amira comes to, her body immediately reminds her of the horrible pain she endured. She aches all over and for a moment the world is blurry when she opens her eyes. When her eyes finally adjust and her vision becomes clear, she sees the interior of a small cell, with three walls made of cold gray stone and a barred door. There's nothing in the room with her except for a pile of hay in the corner. Not even a cot or water. She groans as she moves to sit up, and then freezes when she hears herself. That wasn't her normal voice...

 

Amira looks down to examine herself and reels in shock at the sight of two enormous paws covered in thick spotted fur where her arms should be. She yelps in surprise and the sound that comes out sounds more like a low snarl. She comes up on all fours, unable to stand straight up on two legs, and spins around frantically, attempting to see the rest of her strange new body. She sees her hind legs, strong and powerful with large paws, and a long spotted tail trailing behind her. She runs her tongue over sharp, elongated canines and a set of razor-sharp teeth. She begins to hyperventilate, panicking as the reality of her situation takes hold.

 

She's imprisoned somewhere, far from home, and in the form of a beast. She doesn't know if she will ever escape this strange, desolate place. She frets that she will never return to normal ever again.

 

Footsteps and the flicker of a flame illuminating the corridor pull Amira from her fears, turning her attention to the barred cell door.

 

A tall figure clad in an over-sized black robe steps into view. Their garb is strange. The enormous black robe seems to drown their form. The sleeves are too long, obscuring the hands and long tattered strands hang from the hems, adding to their length. The midnight black of the robe is interrupted with alien electric blue lines and designs. The only skin Amira can see of the figure is their feet, standing atop blocky wooden sandals. She hopes the ashen gray color of their skin is just a trick of the low dungeon light. She cannot see their face due to the silver armor around their shoulders and the disturbing metal helmet resembling a fish head. The figure stops at her cell, seeming to study her for a moment. A high-pitched laugh comes from the masked face. The strange pitch would have been comical in any other context but now it is disturbing and sounds a tad deranged.

 

"Your kind never retains their form long in my realm." The figure says in a thin voice. She can't tell if the speaker is male or female. "Such a pity! My spies told me of your beauty and I hoped to see it for myself."

 

Uncomfortable with the stranger's remark, Amira growls low and feels the fur on the back of her neck raise as she regards the figure with mounting dislike.

 

"It is only a minor inconvenience, however. You will still be useful to me even if you can't speak. Once I finally have the lands of Hyrule in my possession, maybe I'll make myself a little menagerie! Hahaha!" The stranger laughs a long, shrill laugh at their own disturbing joke. The sound pains her newly sensitive ears and she flinches with a snarl.

 

"Now, now! No need to be cross, my dear. Once you hear my side of the story, I am sure you will sympathize with little old me." The stranger pauses, as if waiting for a reply or a reaction from her. When Amira doesn't give them anything more than a confused glare, they finally speak.

 

"You don't know who I am, do you?"

 

Amira shakes her head, still glowering at the obscured stranger. They chuckle again.

 

"So he hasn't told you? My, my, how rude of him! I am Zant, King of the Twili and soon to be ruler of your world of light! Look on your new ruler with awe, my pitiful beast!" As he speaks, Zant undoes the fastens on the heavy metal helmet, lifting it from his head to reveal a long, thin neck covered in tan wrappings supporting a long, narrow face. Enormous orange eyes that seem to glow like lanterns are set into sickly gray-blue flesh and thin purple lips tilt up in a smirk as the strange being regards her, tilting his head to one side in a jerky movement that reminds her of a lizard.

 

_So this is what the people of the Twilight realm look like!_ She wonders with revulsion as she assesses the unsettling fish-like man. His words do nothing to mend her confusion either and only add to her unease. Ganondorf only mentioned that he escaped from the twilight realm. He didn't say how and he certainly didn't mention this man.

 

"Do you even know what I'm talking about, little girl?"

 

Amira growls low in her throat, pleased that the sound is rather menacing. She hates that he called her a little girl.

 

"My, my, he has kept you deeply in the dark! What else has he kept from his pet, I wonder? I wonder what scandals Hyrule has kept from its people! Do you know of the intriguing history of the Twili? Did your historians tell you the story of how Hyrule banished an entire tribe of Hylian mages to this realm of wastelands and darkness to waste away in exile?" Zant regards her wide, surprised eyes and continues his monologue, gesticulating wildly. "We were once a powerful tribe of Hylians! We were scholars and sorcerers, studying magic and doing great deeds before the rest of Hyrule's simpletons even learned how to till the land! We were fit to rule, and we should have ruled! But alas! The royal family banished our tribe here to this rotten world instead, calling us usurpers and villains! And so we wasted away here over millennia until we were reduced to _this_." Zant gestures to his tall, angular form and unsettling features. "Two years ago now I was merely a member on the royal counsel. I gave impassioned speeches on the injustice of our banishment and how we deserve to rise up and take back the land that was stolen from us, but the rest of my bureaucratic councilmen dismissed my great speeches as ravings of a lunatic. A lunatic! One day they demoted me and Queen Midna cast me out. I was distraught and ran out of the counsel chambers on that day, crying out to the heavens! It was in that moment that your precious lord Ganondorf appeared to me in the form of a floating head, claiming to be a God and I foolishly believed him. He promised me his power if I could promise him Hyrule and we made quite the pact indeed, hoho! His power gave me the strength I needed to ascend to the throne and I turned that infuriating queen into an imp and took her place as King! Aha! I thought that would be enough. I thought the people would love me and follow me to Hyrule to take back our land, but no! They had grown fat and complacent. No one cared about our destiny to rule anymore. So I showed them all...I turned them all into my followers and assembled a great army, tee hee hee!"

 

On cue, Zant snaps his long, thin fingers and a pair of masked beings, identical to her captors and step into view. Many things click into place in Amira's mind as she realizes what these things are, what they _were_. She remembers the empty shells of armor in the throne room back in Hyrule castle, the absence of bodies. A sickening realization dawns on her that the Hylian soldiers met with a similar fate. She turns her eyes back to the Usurper King, filled with loathing. Zant's thin purple lips part as he laughs long and loud. Amira notices his thin needle-like teeth.

 

"So, I finally had my army and the power of my God on my side! I just needed a way out." Zant continues his monologue with a smug, self-assured smile. "I knew of the Mirror of Twilight as my people were sent to this realm with it thousands of years ago. So, I sent my best team of engineers and sorcerers on the task of creating a replica we could use to access the Realm of Light. The device they created, combined with my new powers, opened several portals between our worlds and I sent my army all over Hyrule. Ganondorf advised me to take control the Zoras, Gorons, and outer Hylian territories before the castle so I trapped the Zora in ice, draining Lake Hylia, set off Death Mountain, and spread the darkness of the Twilight Realm throughout the land so that every filthy Hylian peasant would know what my people suffered here! And meanwhile, Ganondorf went behind my back! It turns out he is no God, but a lowly Gerudo criminal who was banished from Hyrule to my realm! He used me to make his escape and while I was sending my army around Hyrule, conquering the other lands, he beat me to Castle Town and stone the throne that was to be mine! When I arrived at the castle gates, he used the mirror to send me back and destroyed it so I was once again banished from the world of Light. But he is a fool. The castle remained surrounded in twilight, which left open a channel between our worlds and I was easily able to slip spies into his ranks right under his big nose. I have been slowly rebuilding our device and your capture was its first, _ehee,_ test run! I've been watching you, Amira. Turns out that big oaf has a soft spot for his little pet, hoho! He will surely come to rescue his precious pet and I will have him captured here forever and Hyrule will finally be mine! Mwahahaha!"

 

After letting loose another ear-splitting, maniacal laugh Zant bends his tall frame down to bring his pupil-less, iris-less orange eyes level with Amira's. "You will be my bait, dear pet, to lure the Gerudo rat out of his den."

 

_Never!_ Amira screams internally, lunging at the bars of her cell and Zant's oval face on the other side. She roars and snaps her jaws, realizing with a thrill that in this form they hold enough power to crush bones. Zant staggers backward and his cold mouth dips down in a frown.

 

"Wrong move." He says in a tone as cold as ice. He reaches into the depths of his large cloak to pull out a thin metallic staff. One end is forked, curved around a small sparking orb. Amira can hear the crackle of electricity coming from the glowing tip. Quick as lightening, Zant stabs through the bars with the forked end, striking Amira's side. A jolt of electricity runs through her, burning her skin and sending currents shocking through her bones and muscles, contorting her painfully. With a yowl of pain, she flies to a far corner of the cell, turning to see the bare patch of skin and singed fur. When she turns towards the cell door with livid eyes, she finds the hall dark and empty.

 

With a deep snarl she turns her attention back to her wounded side. With nothing else available to sooth the burning, she bends her head around to lick the wound, trying to emulate what she's seen cats do to groom themselves. To her surprise, she finds it quite soothing as her rough tongue scrapes away the burnt hair and dead skin, cleaning the wound. Despondent and once again alone, she can do nothing but crawl to the pile of hay in the corner, curl into a protective ball around her legs and stomach in the warm straw, and attempt to rest.

 

*****

 

Ganondorf stands amidst a mess of rubble. Toppled columns, crumpled walls and debris are all that's left of the once proud throne room. His rampage left him utterly drained. Sweat trickles down his face, dampening his orange beard, as he pants roughly. Slowly his eyes clear, the pupils shrinking to a normal size inside gold irises.

 

He is furious with himself. He should have taken more precautions to protect Hyrule, to protect _her_ , from Zant. The two realms are still linked after all, even though he destroyed the mirror many moons ago and besides, the last time he warped to the twilight realm, his meeting with Zant did not go smoothly.

 

Clearly the man was more intelligent than Ganondorf gave him credit for. Ganondorf is fully aware of how badly he took advantage of the half-crazed Twili. He took the man for a fool and figured he wouldn't be clever enough to realize Ganondorf was not some kind of God. It seems once again, the Gerudo's arrogance led to his downfall.

 

And to make matters worse, Zant is not only crazy but, as Ganondorf recently learned, unpredictable. The small part of him that isn't overtaken with bloodlust and rage is very concerned for Amira's safety and his mind is currently spinning with plans to take her back and rid himself of the pesky Twili Lord once and for all.

 

He should have killed him long ago.

 

Heavy footsteps tromp down the large hall and a gigantic Bulbin enters the ruined throne room, eyeing the carnage as he steps over the rubble with long strides. His massive bare chest is covered with black and red paint, a traditional marking of Bulbin warriors. His only clothes include a helm adorned with long, curved boar tusks, trousers, and a red cloth hung around his neck and shoulders, embroidered with a simple gold design indicating his status as chief.

 

"Hokh Giraech, Lord Ganondorf." The Bublin speaks in a deep bass voice, raising his left hand in greeting. The phrase is a formal Blin greeting, wishing boundless strength and health for the recipient. "You summoned me?"

 

"Hokh Giraech, King Bulbin." Ganondorf responds in kind, also raising the left hand. "Zant is out of my control and our alliance with the Twili is broken. I mean to return to the twilight realm to put an end to him once and for all."

 

The Bulbin King nods, silently listening.

 

"His shadow beasts have taken something that is precious to me and the only way he could have known is if there are spies among our ranks. See to it that every shadow beast and Kargarok is dealt with. I cannot afford to run the risk of having rats among my ranks or any further connections with the twilight realm." Ganondorf speaks impassively, his face an unreadable stony mask.

 

"Consider it done, old friend."

 

"Have you received any reports from our outpost near the Arbiters Grounds?" Ganondorf inquires. The question seems to give the Bulbin leader pause. With a deep hum, the giant humanoid thinks for a moment.

 

"I haven't, no. Not for many weeks." He mutters. "That is strange. I will send troupes out to investigate at once."

 

"This war is not over yet, it seems. Though we find ourselves pitted against old allies this time." As he says that, Ganondorf finds himself feeling _tired_. All his power never seemed to stop the fighting and the betrayal. Even the divine mark on his hand only seems to bring more trouble. He feels impossibly old and worn. Will there ever be an end to the strife and suffering for people like them? Or are the Gerudo and Bulbin tribes destined to fight and lose battle after battle, unable to attain the peace and prosperity that is so readily attainable by the Goddess's chosen people?

 

"And we will make them sorry." The Bulbin king growls. Ganondorf's face splits into a devilish grin.

 

"We will indeed."

 

The Gerudo king extends an arm, and the two leaders clasp hands firmly. They eye each other with respect. King Bulbin has been his oldest and closest ally. Ganondorf supposes it's because they both know _exactly_ how it feels to live at the mercy of the desert's deadly winds, scavenging for survival and living at the mercy of the royal crown. They understand each other well, they always have.

 

With parting words spoken again in the Bulbin tongue, the Bulbin King takes his leave. Ganondorf examines the area of the throne room, extending his magic out in hundreds of thin tendrils, probing the fabric of space and time itself for weak spots, loop holes in which a portal to the twilight realm might be created.

 

Finding such a spot, he breathes in deep, drawing his magic back in towards his core, finding that dark connection to the alien realm that remained with him. He draws it out of the dark depths of his soul and as the essence of twilight blooms within him, reaching outwards towards the world. He begins to change.

 

The shifting and contorting of his body is no longer painful and he slips into the form of a gigantic horned beast as effortlessly as breathing. Maybe that should concern him, but for now he has much larger problems to deal with.

 

He sits back onto powerful haunches, coiled like a spring and with a roar, lunges up and into the air extending all of his power towards that weak point to rip open a portal-

 

Nothing happens.

 

Ganondorf touches back down onto the ground, the same rubble-strewn ground of the throne room, here in this realm. Confused and frustrated, he tries again.

 

And again. And again.

 

He lets loose a howl of anger and shifts back into his human form. This has never happened before. Why can't he get through?

 

A buzz of energy flickers behind him and with a grunt Ganondorf whips around to face the center of the throne room. Another buzz and suddenly electric blue sparks appear out of thin air. Puzzled, Ganondorf approaches the crackling air cautiously. The sparks appear again, more of them this time, and they begin to take shape, assembling into a flickering image of the oval-shaped, fish-like face of Zant himself.

 

With a roar of rage, Ganondorf swipes at the image and his hand passes through the flickering hologram, feeling nothing but air. The hologram laughs Zant's shrill, ear-splitting laugh.

 

"Hee hee hee! Just like a cat attempting to pounce on a flickering light!" The electric blue image of Zant cackles in Ganondorf's incredulous face. "You beings of light really are basal animals!"

 

"How DARE you show your face here, Zant!" Ganondorf bellows. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER?"

 

"My, my! Hasty as ever! Don't you want to know about this neat little invention of mine?" Zant teases, only encoring the Gerudo King's wrath further.

 

"Where...is...she?" He spits out in slow, deadly clips. Too drained to summon any more of his power, and conscious of the futility of trying to attack Zant's hologram, Ganondorf contents himself with fixing Zant with a glare powerful enough to make the most courageous knight cower.

 

"Fear not! The girl is in one piece!" Zant says in a sing-song voice. "Would you like to see her?"

 

The hologram flickers out and changes before Ganondorf's eyes to reveal the image of a cell and the curled up form of a sleeping leopard.

 

Ganondorf falters for a moment. For some reason he didn't expect the twilight realm to take her humanity away from her too. But it did. It stripped away her form and left a twisted shell of her spirit, just like it had done to him. He remembers how painful it was, and knows how confused and frightened she must have felt. And to think Zant has her in his vile clutches...

 

The image re-arranges back into Zant's face, laughing maniacally and obviously enjoying his sick game immensely. "So-ho! I have something of yours...and you have something of mine." Zant says, voice dropping to a low, deadly tone. "How might we rectify this little mishap, hmm?"

 

"I'm going to find you." Ganondorf growls. The Triforce of Power pulses with the angry thudding of his heart. "And I'm going to kill you. Not only that but I'm going to do it slowly, enjoying every damn minute of tearing you apart! And mark my words, you will be conscious for every moment of it UNTIL I RIP YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!"

 

A brief flicker of fear shows in Zant's orange pupil-less eyes before he regains composure and gives Ganondorf an infuriatingly smug grin.

 

"And how might you go about accomplishing that, Gerudo?" He continues to tease and mock his former ally from the safe distance of several hundreds of light years. "I have sealed all the wormholes and the mirror of twilight remains broken, which I believe was entirely your fault if my memory serves me correctly."

 

Ganondorf says nothing, gnashing his teeth in his furry. All the while he has been wracking his brain for ways to access the twilight realm. With no active portals, the only other option he has is assembling the mirror again. He curses himself for scattering the pieces far and wide across Hyrule, protecting them inside ancient monsters, horrific and powerful.

 

"I'll lay this out nice and simply for your primitive brain to understand." Zant interrupts his thoughts in a condescending tone. "Give me Hyrule or the girl remains here forever, doomed to an eternity of madness. Sounds like a familiar fate doesn't it? You were there not to long ago yourself after all! Hohoho!"

 

And with that the hologram flickers out into a puff of blue sparks, leaving Ganondorf alone with his fury and anguish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this head-canon that the Twili are a highly technologically advanced civilization, being the LOZ universe's analogue to hyper-intelligent aliens, so even though Hyrule is still a medieval society, I don't think it would be over the top for the Twili to know about space-time and wormholes and invent holograms. Plus, Zant strikes me as the evil mad-scientist type.
> 
> Also it wasn't my first choice to make Amira turn into an animal but that seems to be what happens to people in the Twilight Realm so I'm rolling with it?


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into what Link's up to these days and more gray hairs for Ganondorf.

Shrieking and wailing, the dragon's long, serpentine body twists and contorts high in the storm-dark sky. Mid-twist, the beast unhinges its massive jaws, spewing a gigantic ball of flame with one last deafening roar and its wings finally seize. A youth clad in green watches as the dragon plummets towards the circular plateau bellow. The force of impact of the enormous beast striking the plateau sends rippling shock waves through the ground that send the spent warrior falling to his knees in the green grass. Slowly, the dragon's carcass begins to disintegrate. The scales peeling off its body turn into black dust and soon the air is shimmering with black dust and magic as the dragon crumbles, leaving nothing but a jagged, mirrored shard behind on the bloodstained grass and a glowing glass object.

 

With effort, the young warrior hauls himself to his feet and clutches his left side, where fresh blood seeps from a hidden wound, soaking through the fabric of his green tunic. With a grunt, he steels his jaw and pushes himself to move towards the shard and the glowing heart-shaped object beside it. His breath comes out in ragged pants and his green tunic is stained with blood and grime from countless battles and days on the road.

 

He did it. He saved Sky City. He's almost done.

 

He grimaces as he raises his trembling sword arm to sheath his glowing blade. His shoulders _ache_ , but having two hook shots is much better than one. With a small smile, he thinks about all the treasure in Hyrule Field he'll be able to reach with them.

 

The teen comes to a standstill before the strange shard. With hands trembling from exhaustion, he picks it up. His face is reflected back to him, a youthful face, but haggard and worn. His cheeks are gaunter than he remembers. Dirt and blood darken his fair skin and matt his blonde hair. His blue eyes, once bright and hopeful, are now darkened. There is a haunted look to them. They have seen too much in these past few months; too much suffering, too many horrors. His shadow extends out behind him, darkening despite the flat light of the cloudy sky and a small form appears out from the darkness, popping up to face him.

 

"You did it, Link! It's the fourth shard!" A small imp-like figure exclaims excitedly. "Now we have them all!"

 

The young warrior, Link, gives a small smile and nod in agreement. He's too tired to talk. Yes, once again he came against a powerful and terrifying foe and emerged triumphant. Though the countless trials and battles, the many miles of travel, and the horrible tragedies he has witnessed during the past few months have worn him down. Heaviness sits deep in his bones that no amount of potions or heart containers can fix. Link's smile falters as he takes in agonizing breaths, wheezing slightly. He thinks he broke a rib fighting that damn dragon...or three.

 

The imp snatches the mirrored shard from his hands. Link doesn't put up a fight. Instead, his eyes flick over to a golden glass heart lying on the grass. Turning, he stoops to pick it up and holds the glowing object in his hands. It's light is comforting and its warmth slowly spreads through his worn body. Link pulls the heart to his chest and it dissolves, pure healing magic seeping into his chest, flowing through him. Slowly, breathing becomes easier and the wheezing ceases as the pain in his ribs fades away. Pulling a hand from his blood-slicked side, he watches with awe as the wound heals and the blood he lost slowly disappears back into the healing gash. He has always been fascinated by magic.

 

The warmth of the heart container slowly fades, leaving him healthy and whole again. A new strength pumps through his veins and he glances down at the divine mark on his hand, watching the Triforce of Courage shine brightly as if it were also affected by the magic. Each heart container he finds seems to not only heal him, but also improve his strength and stamina. With every horrific monster he battles, he gets a little stronger. He wonders if he will ever be as strong as his namesake, the Hero of legend.

 

Link's thoughts drift to the strange one-eyed skeleton warrior. The spirit of his ancestor called to him for the final time just before he traveled to the Sky City. His heart aches with grief as he remembers the spirit's parting words.

 

_Although I accepted life as the hero, I could not convey the lessons of that life to those who came after. At last, I have eased my regrets..._

 

The ancient Hero had passed on the last of his knowledge to Link and now Link is the only one alive who holds the spirit in his memory. The thought chills him like little else. His ancestor had his destiny and his responsibility as the hero thrust onto him and Link's destiny was revealed to him the same way. What began as a simple errand (a mission to deliver a letter to Hyrule) ended with his childhood friend being captured by monsters along with the rest of the village children and with him in a cell in the form of a wolf. The mark of Courage appeared to him then and without choice or warning he was sent along his destined path. Yes, the Triforce of Courage was his destiny and birthright, and Link felt honored to be a part of something larger than himself, but remembering the warrior spirit's regret and the horrible loneliness that surrounded the ancient hero's shade, Link fears what his future will hold for him if he survives this. He worries he will never be able to return home again. And if he does go home, how could he ever lead a normal life after all he’s been through?

 

"Hey, Link." The imp calls to him softly, interrupting his thoughts. "The words of the Sages, do you remember them?"

 

He pauses for a moment, tilting his head to the side in thought. He doesn't really remember. His head is too crammed; full of legends and secrets so many others have told him. It's hard to make sense of it all, especially considering he was raised as a ranch-hand in a small, rural village; isolated and uneducated.

 

"Only the true ruler of the Twili can destroy the Mirror of Twilight." The imp quotes and Link doesn't understand why she's bringing this up. "Zant could only break the mirror into shards...he couldn't utterly shatter it. That's proof of his false Kingship."

 

With that comment, she floats away and raises a hand. Shadows fly to her. Link feels a strange pull as his shadow leaves him to curl around Midna's raised fist, joining the shadows of the tall pillars circling the plateau. With a cry, she throws her hand down, sending the shadows down into the earth. Darkness manifests itself in the ground, growing into a spiraling portal. Link feels a sense of dread creep up his spine like icy fingers. He hates warping.

 

"Link, lets hurry! To the Mirror Chamber!" Midna beckons him impatiently. Though always rather impatient and pushy, Link notices a new eagerness to her voice. After several long months of endless fighting and trials, she is finally about to go home.

 

Link just wishes he could say the same...

 

"After all, a fake is a fake! And no matter how you dress it up, the real thing always wins!" Midna's final remark leaves Link puzzled. He thinks she's trying to be reassuring, trying to tell him he will continue to triumph over the evils he has yet to come against. He forces himself to smile in thanks. With a weary sigh, Link meets the small Twili at the portal and allows her to pull him through.

 

******

 

Hours later, Ganondorf is preparing his warhorse in the dark castle courtyard, where only three days before he had stood with _her_. The memory lightens his dark mood somewhat.

 

For the first time in two hundred years he is about to act for some one other than himself.

 

The thought is odd enough to stall his busy hands for a moment as he secures a pack on the saddle. Wistfulness cuts through him, a sharp bitter pang, as he thinks of the fortress and the faces of long dead friends and companions. Though different from his original time, Amira and her people are still his tribe. His whole purpose in life is to provide for them, to protect them, and thus far he has failed horrifically.

 

With a grunt, the Gerudo King hoists himself up and into the saddle. The tall, dark stallion beneath him tosses his head with a snort, breath exhaling in a burst of steam in the frigid night air. The poor beast has been confined to the stables for far too long and is restless, chomping at the bit to break free. Ganondorf shares the beast's restlessness. It has been far too long since he last felt the wind on his face.

 

His sharp gold eyes stare off towards the dark horizon and his stony face breaks into a wild grin. With a _hiyah_ , Ganondorf snaps the reigns and the stallion bursts forth with a piercing whiny, galloping out of the open castle gates with the speed and ferocity of a sandstorm.

 

Speeding through the dark streets of Castle Town under the cover of night, Ganondorf delights at the feel of the sharp, biting wind numbing his face and hands. Patrolling Bulbin soldiers stop and salute his passing, but otherwise the streets are silent and empty. As he speeds down the South Road, a slender figure stands at the entrance of an alley. Ganondorf's steed doesn't slow but he notices her brilliant red hair and her surprised, yet sharp kohl-lined eyes as he speeds past. He feels the Gerudo woman's stare heavy on his back as he exits the southern gate.

 

 _Soon,_ he thinks, _soon I will give them the home they deserve._

 

When he clears the southern gardens, the vast expanse of Hyrule field explodes into view. Green grass stretches on southward towards the dark outline of the great forest. He finds it hard to believe that a Hylian settlement established itself in those cursed woods.

 

Out in the open field, galloping at breakneck speed under the full moon, Ganondorf throws his head back and lets out a barking laugh. Raw energy fills him, leaving him feeling almost giddy. He's missed this feeling desperately, riding in the darkness with a sword at his hip and the powerful muscles of his horse moving beneath him. Memories of raids flit through his mind and a feral grin spreads across his face. He can almost hear the battle cries and peals of laughter from his sisters and the thundering hooves of their horses behind him. For a moment he closes his eyes and imagines they're there with him, riding free in the night.

 

And all the while, the Triforce of Power shines bright through his leather gloves.

 

His steed slows after a while, galloping at an easier pace, and Ganondorf regards the approaching silhouette of the night-shrouded forest. It was strange that the Temple of Time was moved to the Lost Woods of all places but even with the powerful magic of those woods, Ganondorf was able to access the temple and shut the monstrous spider matriarch, Armogohma, inside it's inner sanctum with relative ease.

 

The Master Sword was missing from its pedestal when he was last there, several months ago. Ganondorf knows the bearer of Farore's power is at large, but he won't do anything about that yet. His first concern is to rescue Amira and finally dispose of the troubling Twilight Lord. He can concern himself with the other two bearers of the Triforce later. His adopted mothers mentioned a prophecy connecting him to the hero in his original time. He wondered if the brat's descendant knew of the prophecy and if the boy would attempt to fight him.

 

Ganondorf reaches the southern edge of Hyrule Field just as the sky begins to lighten over Death Mountain in the east, welcoming the sun. The dirt road connecting Ordon Village to Hyrule narrows to a path barely wide enough for a single carriage and the trees grow closer and closer together until the Desert King can feel the pressure of them closing in on all sides. Ganondorf utters a violent Gerudo curse under his breath, sharp eyes darting around the dense woodland as he slows his steed to a canter. The cacophony of birdcalls and noises from unfamiliar beasts fill his ears unpleasantly and he bares his teeth with a growl.

 

He hates this place.

 

By mid-morning he reaches a split in the path and takes a right turn, traveling down another short, but densely wooded path that opens up into a clearing before the winding path that leads to the forest temple. Ganondorf takes a moment to appreciate the space, grateful to see the open sky and the lack of dark treetops. For a moment he misses the blank expanse of the desert. He craves its silence and endless blue sky. He even misses the smell of baked earth and dust, much better than the stench of rot and moisture that permeates this dreaded wood.

 

Funny, he thinks. He hasn’t thought much about his homeland in a very long time and certainly never missed it this fiercely. He shakes his head as if that could banish the strange mood that’s fallen over him.

 

Unfortunately in order to access the Temple of Time, he has to abandon his horse and travel through the Lost Woods. Ganondorf steels his jaw, attempting to push away memories of it's twisting, confusing web of narrow pathways and the haunting whispers and music of forest spirits.

 

If he could, he would burn the whole cursed place to the ground.

 

Ganondorf traverses the steep gorges and rickety wooden bridges that lead to the Lost Woods with care. The flimsy, half rotten bridges threaten to snap under his immense weight and no combination of curses in Gerudo, Hylian, nor Blin could accurately reflect his hatred of this place.

 

The Gerudo immediately recognizes when he steps into the Lost Woods. Magic in its purest, most elemental form pulses in the air and the woods are the densest he has ever traveled through. Ancient tree trunks, gnarled and thick, grow impossibly close together to make an impenetrable barrier along the path. Ganondorf's massive shoulders tense and the hairs on the back of his strong neck prickle at the feel of eyes on him.

 

Faint childlike whispers carry through the dense woods, beckoning him down other paths that split off into unknown directions and Ganondorf curses again, narrowing his eyes and gluing them to the path ahead. He clenches his fists and keeps right, passing a pool of crystal clear water and a waterfall that flows over moss-covered boulders. Every square inch of the place is packed with life. Even the rocks are covered with living things.

 

It disturbs the Desert King immensely.

 

Many hours of navigating increasingly confusing pathways and a steady stream of oaths later, the dark woods part into a familiar clearing. Ganondorf stands on a stone balcony. It is so overgrown with moss, he can barely distinguish it from the forest behind him. Stretching out bellow is the so-called Sacred Grove; the ancient shell of a temple bordered by the oldest, most gnarled oaks Ganondorf has ever seen and the crumpling, mossy ruins of ancient columns and walls, which once held up the roof of the temple's vestibule. Now the roof is gone, having caved in long ago, to reveal thick tree canopy and brief glimpses of sky. The few sunrays able to pierce gaps in the thick canopy filter down to the forest floor in golden beams of light. They are beautiful, even if slightly unsettling as floating particles of dust and spores glitter in their light. With a grunt, Ganondorf vaults himself over the crumbling stone railing and drops down onto the mossy stone floor. He strides confidently over the strangely bare circle of stone on which a large engraving of the Triforce is set. As he passes the two towering statues of stone guardians and enters the archway leading into the temple proper, the unsettling feeling of being watched makes his dark skin crawl.

 

Standing inside the Temple of Time, Ganondorf notices evidence of Farore's bearer everywhere. The statue Ganondorf had hid was returned to its place, leaving the door to the arachnid's chamber open and muddy boot prints litter the pristine tiled floor. Ganondorf passes through the open door, dodging the series of blade traps, beamos statues, and puzzles with familiar ease. When he enters the ancient spider's lair, the sight of its crumpled carcass doesn't surprise him. Neither does the absence of the mirror shard.

 

So the little bastard beat him to it. At least that saves him time.

 

Grumbling, Ganondorf leaves the temple and the dreaded woods behind, immediately leaving Faron for the Gerudo Desert to the west. He prays to Din he won't be too late for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the quotes from Midna and skeleton Link are from the game FYI.  
> I’m going to try to avoid pulling directly from the game but this story does take place as the game unfolds and we’re getting to the point where this story diverges from the Nintendo version quite a bit!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, long time no update! This is another short chapter but I really missed writing this story and ended up cranking this little chapter out in about an hour so sorry if it's a little rough.  
> Real life has been absolutely insane. I've been gone out of town a lot for work-sponsored trainings, traveling to work other places, and vacation. I'm doing AmeriCorps this year, which means my job's limited to 11 months and on top of being gone a lot I'm starting to apply to jobs once again, am soon moving in with my boyfriend, AND my family is coming from out of town in a couple days. Things have been so crazy and stressful, and I'm staying up way too late on a Monday night to post this because updating makes me feel better. I have no idea when the next chapters will be posted cause I’ve had some writers block but I'm fully intent on finishing this!

Midna's words come to mind as Link takes in the strange land before him.

 

_"The twilight there holds a serene beauty...you have seen it yourself as the sun sets upon this world."_

 

Link had been calmed by her words then, as they stood together on the dais in the Desert Colossus, before the completed Mirror and the portal it had just opened. He had been extremely nervous, terrified in fact. All of his experiences thus far with her homeland had been the opposite of _serene_ and he was staring into the depths of some kind of magical vortex that would take him further into the alien realm, right into Zant's hands.

 

And now as he stands on a platform overlooking a giant obsidian castle, surrounded by the hulking forms of Kargaroks soaring over its menacing turrets, he has to wonder what Midna's idea of "serene beauty" entails. The heavy black clouds and strange black dust (he notices it's falling upwards) disturb him. The fiery oranges and reds lighting up the stormy sky resemble a sunset in the way a thunderstorm represents a light, refreshing spring rain.

 

But Midna eagerly pushes him onwards. Her people, he must save her people. Then he can finally return home.

 

As they near the castle he sees hulking dark forms. Link freezes in surprise, instinctively reaching for the Master Sword when he sees shadow beasts, hundreds of them, lurking in the large courtyard in front of the castle. Midna stays his hand.

 

"No! Link, those are my people. They wont harm you."

 

Link gives her a quizzical look and then examines the figures again. They certainly look similar to the shadow beasts. Their coal-black skin holds glowing green symbols, like the shadow beasts except the beast's sigils glowed red. Their disturbingly humanoid shapes still are made up of strange proportions; arms too long and legs too short to be normal. And their faces are still obscured by masks. But none of them move to attack Link, rather they are all motionless as if in a trance.

 

"Let's go, Link." Midna says, tugging at his sleeve. She tells him about the twin Sols of her world, similar to the sun in his realm. She says Zant took them when he rose to power and by restoring them, they could break the curse on her people that rendered them motionless. With a nod in acknowledgement, Link sets off to the East corridor outside the castle, to find the Sols and a way in to the fortress.

 

*****

 

_"Return to me safe."_

_Ganondorf's deep, smoky voice reaches her ears, though her eyes see nothing but blackness. An infinite, empty void surrounds her, which no light can penetrate. The sound of his voice and his words calm her and her mind begins to drift, leaving the crushing loneliness of the void to remember Ganondorf. Ganondorf's face, dark and bearded, his molten gold eyes, his warmth..._

_She is being held in an embrace, feeling as if every part of her is being supported and warmed._

_Now familiar stonewalls and tapestries surround her. She is in Hyrule Castle. Ganondorf is there._

_He is speaking softly to her. She can't understand the words but they soothe her. His warmth surrounds her and she feels an overwhelming sense of safety. Her heart swells with affection as she gazes into his eyes and she leans towards him, needing to be closer._

_Inches from her own, his face suddenly contorts. His eyes burn bright and the red fire in them consumes him. Fangs erupt from his canines and his jaw juts out, his large nose becoming snout-like. His eyes hold no recognition of her, only hate and he roars, showing too many sharp teeth. With a scream she falls backward into nothingness._

_The word shifts again and she is watching the throne room from above. Ganondorf is locked in a fierce battle with a warrior clad in green. His eyes are not the same, alight with malice and madness. Manic laughter erupts from his throat as he holds dark, swirling magic in his large hands, hurling balls of crackling lightening towards the Hero, again and again._

_She is swept away, away from the fierce battle, through the desolate castle halls, and outside. The castle is a fortress. Jutting up dramatically from barren, dead land. The town beyond is dark and empty, crawling with the forms of emaciated, hairless shades. Their eye sockets are empty and the air is filled with their forlorn shrieking._

_A white flash blots out the ruins of castle town and now an endless blue sea stretches out before her eyes. A fortress stands tall and lonely on a rocky island. Atop its tallest tower, Ganondorf stands much older and worn, gazing out over the endless sea. His rounded back and shoulders sag as if under a heavy weight and his golden eyes are tired and dim._

_Another white flash and she looks out over Hyrule Castle once more. Large black monoliths jut up from the ruined earth surrounding its moat; strange black stones encrusted with sickly purple ooze._

_A deafening roar fills the air and a purple cloud of energy explodes from the castle, rising ever upward only to dive down, curling around the castle as it roars in fury. There is a head at the front of the demonic storm. A thick orange mane surrounds the shape of a large demonic skull. An amber jewel shines dimly above red glowing eyes._

_Eyes that hold only malice._

 

With a scream that arrives to her ears as a beastly yowl, Amira jolts awake. Her eyes see the interior of a cell with smooth obsidian walls. She eyes the unnatural glowing blue flames of the black torches lining the walls and remembers exactly where she is and why. She shakes her head, as if doing so could shake away her memories of that horrible dream.

 

What was that? She wonders as she shivers, shaken to her core. It was more than a mere nightmare. All those versions of Ganondorf...did they happen? She shudders at the memory of the demon that looked disturbingly like the Gerudo King. Were they going to happen? She desperately feels the need to  _do something_ but she can't escape this prison and even if she could, how would she ever get home?

 

Frustrated, she turns her gaze back towards the cell door with a low snarl. She feels so helpless trapped in this cell, so angry with herself and this whole situation, and-

 

Soft footsteps alert her of someone approaching her cell. She thinks it is Zant at first but the steps are too quiet, steps of someone who doesn't want to be found. Her heightened senses barely detect them.

 

The intruder casts a shadow on the wall due to the flickering blue light of the torches; a figure much shorter than the mad Twili with the outlines of weaponry on their back and what could be an odd pointed hat.


	18. Chapter 18

True to King Bulbin's report, the Blin outpost in front of the Arbiter's Grounds had been ransacked.

 

Ganondorf dismounts his dark stallion at the entrance, eyeing the wooden ruins of lookout towers in the wide canyon leading up to the base. The crumbling walls of the ancient ruins that house the current Bulbin camp and the makeshift wooden reinforcements that added to its height remain intact. When he enters the camp, Ganondorf snarls at the signs of battle. Charred spots on the wooden walls and barricades are evidence of fire arrows and the carcasses of fallen Bulbin soldiers and exploded bomb barrels litter the sandy ground. The sheer amount of bodies and destruction here could only be carried out by an army, though the desert King knows the armies of Hyrule remain broken and scattered, as he executed all their generals and their soldiers were too cowardly to rebel. A nagging suspicion as to who was responsible tugs at his mind.

 

The bearer of Farore's Courage. The Hero from the prophecy.

 

The Hero could be a formidable foe. Considering the descendant of the brat who rated him out two centuries ago had made it this far, there is a possibility that Ganondorf might face him in the Twilight Realm as well as Zant.

 

Skilled as the hero may be however, Ganondorf is not concerned. He will demolish any obstacles in his path and slay any foes that stand in his way. After all, what was supposed to be an execution turned into a temporary set back. No, he his not concerned. He has fought hard for his right to rule and he will continue to fight. As these thoughts roil in his mind, he gazes at his left hand and the glowing mark of Din's Power. The corners of his mouth draw up in a devious grin, showing his teeth.

 

The mark is his key this time. The mark has changed everything.

 

The child hero did not lie when he betrayed Ganondorf's secret plans to the Hylian Court and the Sages. After all his research in the castle library, he still failed to answer that mystery. How could the boy have known he planned to find the Triforce?

 

And yet the Triforce, or at least one piece of it, found him of its own volition. By some miracle as he stood chained to that boulder in the middle of the desert colossus, seconds away from execution, the mark of the Triforce of Power appeared on his hand. He remembers the thrill of all that power suddenly coursing through his veins. The Sage of Fire ran the sacred blade into his chest and in that moment, despite the agony, he had felt stronger than ever before.

 

His last moments before falling backwards through that strange, dark void were a blur. So drunk on pure magical energy and adrenaline, the memory of breaking the chains that held him is foggy. He remembers the anger and hatred he felt, burning through him like fire. He vaguely remembers yanking the bloodied blade out of his chest and thrusting it forward towards his captors almost on instinct. Did it strike? He didn't know. After that there was an extreme sense of vertigo and he fell backwards into blackness.

 

More memories flood his mind, countless numbers of them swarming and consuming him like a locust plague, as he ascends the great stone steps of the Arbiter's Grounds. He was imprisoned here for months while awaiting trial. The hallways and cells were covered in Gerudo script. The workers were all prisoners of Hyrule, slaves who were captured throughout the war. How fitting it was, that their king was its first victim.

 

Hours later, he emerges from the archway and onto the sandy coliseum floor. The Mirror is in one piece and the portal is open, reflected on the face of that impossibly large black boulder in a dizzying spiral of glowing runes and triangles. The scene makes Ganondorf sick with deja vu. Steeling his jaw, the Gerudo male approaches the open portal, allowing it to take him once more.

 

But this time he goes willingly. He knows exactly what awaits him on the other side and his thirst for vengeance and bloodshed override any ounce of fear he may possess as the void swallows him whole.

 

*****

 

The shadow on the dungeon wall draws closer and Amira waits crouched in anticipation as a figure clad in odd green clothes emerges from around the corner. Intent on his direction, the man nearly walks past Amira's cell when her growl all but startles him out of his skin. He whips around to face her cell and she is taken by surprise at the uncanny familiarity of this man standing before her with a glowing blade drawn.

 

He looks just like the boy on the tapestries and in the fairy tale books.

 

An untidy mess of blonde hair sticks out from under his tall, pointed green cap. That distinctive green cap and the green tunic are unmistakable. He is the spitting image of the Hero of Time, though older. He isn't a child like the ancient Hero in the fables, though still young. Amira would guess his age lies somewhere between sixteen to eighteen years old. As she observes him, his bright blue eyes examine her with confusion and bewilderment. Amira is confused as well. For one, she can't believe he is in the Twilight Realm and secondly, still human.

 

 _What in the name of the Triad he doing here?_ She wonders privately, wishing now more than ever that she could still talk.

 

"Are you from this realm?" The teen asks her gently. He is surprisingly soft spoken and has warm and kind eyes, certainly not the traits she would have expected from a hero-type. To answer him, Amira shakes her head slowly.

 

He smiles kindly and steps forward towards the bars. "My name is Link. I'm here to stop Zant and save this Realm. Are you his prisoner?"

 

Amira nods with a soft snarl.

 

"I was trapped here once too. I took the form of a wolf, though it would be fun to be a big cat like you." Link reaches into the top of his tunic as he casually carries on a one-sided conversation and pulls out a large, strange crystal on a simple string. It is primarily black, accented with red. Its jagged shape is rather ominous. "Here...touch this. It will turn you back to normal."

 

Tentatively, Amira approaches the bars and raises a large spotted paw to meet the crystal. The crystal immediately glows red and Amira yowls in surprise when its light spreads up her front leg, consuming her. She feels herself transforming, though this time it is far less painful and soon enough she sees the familiar shape of her arms and legs. Looking herself over with relief, she finds everything is in its right place and luckily she is even wearing the cloak and outfit she wore in Hyrule.

 

The Hylian boy beams at her and stands up from his crouch. At her normal height she notices he is rather short and slight of build, even for a Hylian. Being around six feet tall herself, he is a few inches shorter than her.

 

"Thank you." She says, truly grateful, and it feels so wonderful to be able to speak and use her hands.

 

"I am just doing my duty." Link says humbly. "No need to thank me."

 

"Well despite your duty, you still deserve my thanks." Amira says almost dryly. She finds his overwhelming humbleness a little frustrating. "My name is Amira by the way."

 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Amira."

 

"You said you are here to defeat Zant, to save this world." Amira says after a small silence. "Why?"

 

When Link gives her a look, she rushes to clarify. "I mean why just you? Why are you here alone?"

 

Link opens his mouth as if to answer her and then closes his lips, pursing them in thought. He raises his left hand and examines a triangular mark on the back of his hand contemplatively. It is similar to the marks that Ganondorf and Zelda carry, the mark of the Triforce.

 

"This mark appeared on me when this all started." He says quietly. "Bulbins took my friends, my only family, and I went to save them...just them at first. But then I met the Princess in the Twilight Realm and she told me many things. She told me about the old legends, saying I'm the descendant of the ancient Hero and that I am the only one who could save Hyrule. And if I can save Hyrule then I need to save this world too. I...I can't just let Zant and Ganondorf ruin everything. I suppose I can't just stand idly by and watch the world end if I can do something about it."

 

Amira falters for a brief second, before hastily trying to regain her composure. She realizes she would likely betray Link's trust if he knew of her familiarity with the Gerudo King. She needs the boy to help her escape and, well, she likes the kid. He is one of very few Hylian men she has met who is genuinely kind-hearted and honest. She remembers her brief meeting with Nabooru in her vision at Kina's. Maybe with Link's help she could bring peace between the three bearers of the Triforce. For a brief moment she imagines the great things the three of them could accomplish if Ganondorf could ever get over his centuries-old grudge against Hyrule and if Zelda could forgive his crimes against her kingdom. Link is markedly different than both of them. He is calm, selfless and lacks the proud royal blood that prompts Zelda and Ganondorf to be so forever at odds.

 

When she doesn't question Link's story, he asks her the dreaded question. "What about you? How did you end up here in Zant's dungeon?"

 

Amira sighs audibly as she looks into earnest, kind blue eyes that are impossible to refuse. Maybe he wouldn't judge her if she just told him the truth.

 

_Well shit...here it goes._

 

"I was captured by shadow beasts on the East Road of Castle Town." Amira chooses her words very carefully. "I have had visions of the desert my whole life and they've all been focused on the Gerudo people during the war two-hundred years ago. You mentioned you've met with the spirits of the Sages. Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit, is my ancestor. I'm not sure why Zant captured me or how he knows of me, but he has been asking me questions about the Sages and the Mirror."

 

The last bit is a blatant lie and she knows it. It hurts to hide the truth from him but she can't count on Link to accept the real story. Not yet.

 

Link's blue eyes go wide. "You mean you're a real Sage? A living one?" He asks in awe and Amira backpedals, unnerved by his enthusiasm.

 

"Well...I, uh, I don't know about that." She says awkwardly. "I hardly know anything. I've been trying to piece my visions together to figure out what they all mean for months. It seems like everything that has been happening lately is linked to the war between Hyrule and the Gerudian tribe. I'm sure you've noticed my ancestry."

 

She doesn't mean for that last part to sound bitter. She doesn't hold any ill will towards this Hylian, but in her experience the color of her skin and the distinctive features of her face have always made Link's kind uncomfortable. Much to her relief and surprise, Link doesn't seem bothered.

 

"You're a good person." He says simply. "That's all that matters to me. I'm from Ordon and to be honest, I never met any Gerudo, Gorons, or Zora until I began my journey. The only other Gerudo I've met is the bartender back in Castle Town. I think her name was Telma..."

 

"That's my aunt!" Amira exclaims excitedly. "I remember now, she told me about you the day I was captured. I'm glad she was able to help you."

 

They talk excitedly about memories of Telma and for one blessed moment, Amira forgets she is talking to the Hero of Hyrule from behind bars. But the warm feelings of friendship and camaraderie are short lived as they both hear commotion down the hallway Link had entered from minutes before.

 

"Oh no." Amira whispers, voice dropping.

 

"I cannot risk being discovered...I have so much more I need to do here. I'm sorry, Amira, I will come back for you I promise." Link whispers.

 

"No! Link, wait-" Her frantic whispers are only met with silence as Link vanishes quickly down the opposite hallway.

 

Moments later, Zant appears before her cell. His orange, pupil-less eyes study her furiously. "So you've miraculously transformed yourself...how interesting." He speaks in a seething voice as he approaches the barred door of her cell. "At least now I can get information out of you, girl."

 

Amira backs away from the terrifying, looming figure of the Twilight King but to her horror, the Twili's form shimmers and he steps through the barred door.

 

Backed into the corner, Amira makes a desperate attempt to dash around Zant's wispy thin form. A pale hand with long, thin figures flashes out to close around her throat, slamming her into the wall with force enough to knock the wind from her lungs. The clammy, cold fingers tighten around her throat as Zant brings his alien face close. " _Someone_ has been sneaking around my castle and I'm sure they were the ones who so graciously turned you back. When I'm finished with you, you will tell me the identity of this thief in the night. You will tell me everything."

 

********

Once again, Amira is woken from a dreamless, deathlike sleep by her aching body. Zant had tortured her for what felt like hours. She tries hard to block the memories of the bruises she received at his hand, the horrible hallucinations, and the awful shocks that sent her nerves burning like fire. It didn't take long for her to break. Her heart burns with shame, knowing that she eventually told him everything he wanted to hear; the history of the Triforce, her link with Nabooru, her relationship with Ganondorf, and the whereabouts of Telma and her closest friends.

 

Amira curls her beaten, shaking body, hugging her knees and hiding her head. She failed everyone she loves. She betrayed the secrets and powers of Hyrule to a madman. She cries helplessly, wishing she were stronger. A loud electrical zap startles her out of her skin and she screams, jolting upright to see blue electricity crackling around the exterior of her cage.

 

That's right. After all that, he put her in a _cage_.

 

It has circular metal-barred walls and a flat bottom; a giant thing, disturbingly similar to a birdcage. It hangs just behind and to the left of Zant's tall, dark throne. The vile Twili lord sits on the throne, tapping his long pale fingers against the obsidian armrest to some unknown and obnoxious tune. Amira feels sick with loathing, looking at the side of his disgusting face. If only she could break out of this dehumanizing cage and-

 

Loud noises beyond the tall and regal throne room doors send Amira's gaze away from her captor to the front of the room. It sounds as a battering ram is being repeatedly thrust against the doors. Zant jumps to attention, obviously surprised, and stands frozen, yet at the ready, in front of his stolen throne. Straining her long, pointed ears, Amira thinks she can hear low grunts or growls.

 

The immense stone doors buckle. And then they explode, sending black dust and rubble sprawling across the long path towards Zant's seat. Hope blooms through Amira's heart as she sees the vague outline of a gigantic, hulking beast through the cloud of dust and debris. As the haze clears, the silhouette changes and before too long, Ganondorf is striding quickly towards the throne with an enormous blade drawn and fury etched into his features.

 

"Well, well, well!" Zant claps his long, thin hands in a grandiose display of sarcasm. "You managed to reach me after all. I never thought your half-wit brain would find a way through."

 

"ZANT!" Ganondorf bellows. "You will pay for everything you've done a thousand times over! Where is she?"

 

"Ganondorf!" Amira cries out desperately, stumbling forward to reach through the bars. Ganondorf's gaze snaps over to meet her eyes. His golden eyes widen in surprise and he barely opens his mouth to speak before Zant quickly snaps his fingers and that blue electric energy returns, singeing her skin. Amira screams in pain, falling backwards.

 

"Amira!" Ganondorf roars after her. He takes in the sight of her. She is still wearing the dress she wore on that fateful day when she left for town, though it is now torn and burned in places. Her hair hangs in matted auburn locks and he can see the bruises littering her skin. The Gerudo King turns his eyes back to Zant, who is laughing maniacally in his face. His eyes burn coal bright in his wrath.

 

"YOU WORM!" Ganondorf roars, raising his large blade to challenge his foe. "YOU SPINELESS RAT! I WILL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!"

 

"Ho ho ho! That is big talk, my friend!" The Twili chortles. "And how indeed will you manage to kill me, considering I still hold a portion of your powers?"

 

"Oh I fully intend on keeping you alive, and I promise it wont be long before you will beg for death!" Ganondorf moves towards the throne, blade out and ready to strike. In a flash, Zant stands from his throne and grabs his long staff, twirling it in a circle of brilliant blue light. A glowing wall of energy materializes into existence between them and Ganondorf barely stops before barreling into it.

 

"Now, Ganondorf." Zant's voice is calm, cool, and even, though dripping with venom. "Let us talk about this like adults. Surely you would like the girl returned to you unharmed."

 

"It is too late for that." Ganondorf growls.

 

"I am prepared to offer you a trade." Zant continues, unfazed. "I will set the girl free in the realm of light completely healthy and whole with no memory of what has transpired if you relinquish the seat of Hyrule and the remainder of your powers to me-"

 

"The seat of Hyrule belongs to Princess Zelda, just as this throne belongs to me!" A small yet authoritative voice cries out from the ruined entrance.

 

All eyes in the room snap to the empty frame of the Hall.

 

A young man clad in green stands among the ruined stone doors with a small, strange being reminiscent of a shadow floating at his side. The boy holds a blade in his left hand. The white light emitting from the sword casts a holy glow around his slender frame.

 

"Ah. Midna. I must say I did not expect to see you again." Zant says dryly. "And I see you brought your loyal pet."

 

Link doesn't seem to hear the Twili lord's insults. The boy's eyes are fixed on the large form of the Gerudo man standing before the electrical shield surrounding the throne. Blue eyes, wide with shock, lock onto furious gold. Link's face contorts into a look of fury and he widens his stance, ready for battle.

 

"Ganondorf." He says lowly, pointing his blade at the much larger man, challenging him. The Gerudo King growls, moving his blade away from Zant's face to point at the Hylian.

 

" _Hero_."


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of an epic show down. Amira looses her shit.

"Ganondorf."

 

" _Hero._ "

 

Amira's eyes dart frantically between Hyrule's Hero and the Gerudo King as they square off. They are both as tense as bow strings, looking ready to strike at any moment. Their Triforce marks pulse angrily.

 

 _This is not good._ She thinks with a grimace.

 

"You had to meddle in things you don't understand, didn't you? Just like your predecessor." Ganondorf says lowly, stepping towards Link and away from his original target, who is now grinning deviously from behind his magical barricade.

 

At his immense height Ganondorf towers over the hero, looming ever larger over the slight Hylian's head as he approaches with his blade at the ready. A brief flash of fear crosses the young warrior's face as the tall, broad, and dark figure of Ganondorf approaches.

 

"This isn't your fight, boy. Leave now." Ganondorf tells him warningly, holding the tip of his blade inches from Link's un-moving features. "This is the only time I will show you mercy."

 

The boy's eyes narrow, burning with defiance, and he raises his blade, which is blazing with divine light like white fire. "No." Link's voice is steel. The softness Amira felt from him in their brief interaction has entirely vanished. "I'm not letting you and Zant conspire the destruction of Hyrule any longer. This ends now."

 

Distracted by their standoff, Amira failed to notice Zant preparing a spell. She hears a steady droning buzz, like a swarm of bees, and glances over to the throne to see the Twili Lord thrust his hand towards the tall ceiling. He releases a red glowing ball of energy, which floats rapidly upwards.

 

"Ganondorf!" Amira screams, desperately trying to catch his attention. When Ganondorf looks towards the back of the room, his eyes widen in shock at the sight of the open portal and Zant waving a long, grey hand in a mocking goodbye.

 

"NO!" He roars, but it is already too late. Just as he turns around towards the throne and summons dark purple, crackling energy in his hand, Zant is falling up towards the portal in a disassembled cluster of dark particles. With a roar of frustration, he releases the blast of magic, sending it hurtling into the obsidian throne. The black stone explodes into millions of shards.

 

He whips around towards Link's bewildered and confused expression, features livid. "Damn you!" Ganondorf readies his blade once again and his body coils, prepared to charge.

 

"Ganondorf, no! Wait!" Amira pleads and her cries freeze the Gerudo in his tracks. "He isn't your enemy here and fighting him will only waste precious time. We have to act now before Zant makes it to the portal. Now stop fighting and come help me out of this stupid cage!"

 

Ganondorf looks at her incredulously and Link's eyes dart between the two of them in utter confusion.

 

Then a heavy sigh leaves the Gerudo King and he lowers his great blade from the hero. He approaches Amira and the metal cage with quick strides. His brow and the lines of his face betray stress and worry for her as he examines the iron bars and the electric blue aura of magic dancing around them.

 

"Be careful. It shocks." Amira warns him gently. She gazes at him fondly, drinking in his features. She missed him desperately.

 

"Amira..." He whispers sorrowfully as he examines the cage. His left hand glows with soft golden light and he raises it to the bars of the cage door. Where the golden glow of his hand touches the electrical field, blue sparks dance away, dissipating. Soon the aura around the door is clear and Ganondorf touches the bars carefully.

 

"The field is gone." He says softly. "You are safe now."

 

Amira crawls forward and extends a shaking hand to test the cage walls. Her fingers brush against the cold metal and she is relieved by the absence of the horrible shocks. Ganondorf's fingers come through the bars to touch her skin and they work to undo the cage door, fingers brushing eagerly.

 

Finally free, she approaches the edge of the hanging cage and lowers herself into his awaiting arms. She desperately missed his warmth and solidness. In this moment she doesn't want to be parted from him ever again.

 

"You came for me." She says, voice falling to a whisper as they look at each other.

 

Ganondorf presses his forehead against hers, stroking the sides of her face and her hair, whispering to her softly. "Of course I did. I would go to the ends of the earth for you."

 

He catches her cracked lips, kissing her softly and she arches into it eagerly, needing all the comfort he can give.

 

"Ahem."

 

The sound of someone clearing their throat causes the reunited couple to break their embrace, glancing over towards the other side of the room where Link and Midna stand. Link's jaw hangs open in disbelief, while the Twili imp floats over his shoulder with her small arms crossed, unimpressed.

 

"You were on his side all along..." Link says. He looks so defeated, betrayed. It makes Amira's heart ache. "You lied to me."

 

Ganondorf gives her an incredulous look. "You two know each other?"

 

Amira looks between the two of them and wants to roll her eyes at the sheer absurdity of this situation. "Yes, he found me in the dungeons. I was trapped in the form of a beast and he turned me human again. I owe him much for his kindness." She tells Ganondorf this gently, though her eyes remain firm under his suspicious glare. When she sees his features relax, she asks him to lower her to the ground and turns towards Link.

 

"Link, I did not want to lie to you, but I was afraid you would jump to conclusions too quickly both about me and him-"

 

"B-but he is evil! He was sentenced to death and he killed a Sage!" Link exclaims.

 

"And tell me, boy, how many innocent lives died at the hands of your royal family?!" Ganondorf challenges.

 

"QUIET!" Amira screams, overwhelmingly frustrated with it all. Both men immediately fall into a stunned silence and she can feel the weight of their gazes. "We don't have much time to loose. We're all here to defeat Zant and each moment we delay, he gets farther away. Now please make a truce and so we can stop him before he wrecks more havoc on this world and our own!"

 

Ganondorf stares at the woman at his side for a long moment and Amira can see a small struggle in his eyes as he weighs his options; fight the bearer of Farore's power as he planned or make peace in order to stop a common enemy. She desperately hopes he will chose the later. The mounting suspense is nearly too much to bear before he steels his jaw, resolved.

 

Ganondorf raises the massive blade in his hand, sliding it into the sheath at his back. Amira feels as if she can suddenly breathe easier.

 

"Until Zant is defeated I have no quarrel with you, boy." Ganondorf announces. His powerful voice is hard and forceful and a gleam of distrust is still present in his golden eyes. "However if you get in my way, I will destroy you without hesitation. Do I make myself clear?"

 

"I have no reason to fight you while in this realm." Link says firmly as he sheaths his glowing sword.

 

"Lets get to the portal, quickly." Midna says. "With luck we will head Zant off there. Be prepared for the unexpected. He is cunning."

 

********

 

The four exit the palace quickly. No words are exchanged between them as they cross the bridge leading to the grounds. Link had given Amira one of his many potions much to Ganondorf's annoyance, healing the last of the aches and burns. Ganondorf had brought an arsenal with him and armed her with a short sword that had looked more like a dagger in his massive hands. She has never had a reason to learn to fight and now that they're heading off to face the mad Twili king, she finds herself wishing she knew how to wield a weapon and severely regretting the dress she had put on to go to into town. As they were leaving the throne room, Ganondorf had given her some fighting tips used extensively by Gerudo warriors such as how to counter brute strength with her speed and agility, though she planned to stay out of the way as much as possible.

 

Outside the palace, the stormy, red sky and bare rock sprawl out to the horizon. The grounds are teaming with activity. Human-like beings are scattered throughout the plaza. Their skin is the same pale ashen gray as Zant and Midna and their pupil-less eyes glow red. Most are wearing simple black robes and togas though some are adorned with electric blue sigils, signifying a higher class. The Twili people stare wordlessly after the group as they move through the crowd, parting like a sea around them as they make their way towards the glowing light of the portal in the distance. Midna vanishes inside Link's robe, ashamed to be seen by her people as an imp.

 

When they make it to the portal, they find it is unoccupied and still open, spiraling in on itself infinitely. Its pull is inviting, almost irresistible.

 

"Well, now what?" Amira asks, studying the portal.

 

"I thought he would be here..." Midna says, emerging from Link's hood to survey the land. "Something feels off-"

 

A low, steady _thrum_ reaches them like ripples in the air. As a unit they turn around towards the palace and Amira's stomach drops in shock. A tower of blazing red light erupts from the center spire of the palace, piercing the clouds and melding with the fiery sky. Zant's high, manic laughter surrounds them, though the rogue Twili is nowhere in sight.

 

"What-"

 

"How did he-"

 

The tower of red energy twists and contorts, becoming a cyclone. Red lightening sparks and crackles from the sky, touching down on the castle grounds and surrounding the crowd of Twili citizens. Hundreds of screams reach Amira's ears and they can only watch helplessly as the citizens of the Twilight realm transform.

 

An army of shadow beasts now stands in place of hundreds of innocent Twili. In unison, their masked faces fixate on the group in front of the portal. High above the grounds, they can barely make out the tall, thin form of Zant standing on a balcony, watching over the proceedings.

 

"DESTROY THEM!" Zant's shrill voice commands and on cue the sigils etched into the shadow beasts' masks glow red. His army advances towards the quickly on thousands of scrambling hands and feet.

 

The bearers of Power and Courage draw their blades in unison, focused on the oncoming horde. Midna's helm glows gold with power as she watches the monsters that used to be her people with sorrowful eyes.

 

"Get behind me, Amira." Ganondorf commands and she hastily complies, eyes wide with fear.

 

The first beasts to reach them are quickly dispatched by Link and Ganondorf. Ganondorf's raw physical strength and the sheer size of his weapon drop several foes at once. The Triforce mark glows furiously on his hand as he unleashes blasts of magical energy that rip through the horde, killing dozens. Link's form darts in and out of the mass of bodies effortlessly, much smaller than the Gerudo's but equally as efficient. The white glow of his blade flashes and spins from the center of the mass and Amira can see several bodies drop in its wake. The tuff of red and gold on Midna's helm grows and transforms, becoming a hand. Amira watches with awe as the Twili Queen uses the huge, glowing arm to dispatch one shadow beast after another, all the while keeping her wrathful red eyes fixed on Zant's figure high above them.

 

She tries to keep out of the battle. As the Triforce bearers and Midna push on through the horde towards the palace, slaying enemies as they go, Amira stays frozen in place near the portal. The air reeks of death. Bodies of shadow beasts litter the ground and the fact that they used to be innocent beings makes her sick. She raises her gaze up, up the tall central tower of the castle towards Zant's shape on the balcony. Her eyes narrow and she grits her teeth, snarling with loathing.

 

She feels his gaze on her. In her head, his horrible laugh plays on a loop.

 

She tightens her grip around the sword in her hands.

 

A lone shadow beast escapes from the carnage wrought by the rest of the group, running towards her on all fours. It _shrieks_. The horrible sounds it makes bring her back to that night all those months ago when she was being chased down the tunnels beneath Hyrule Castle. She was so powerless and scared then.

 

Not anymore.

 

The monster approaches her quickly, almost on her now. It leaps up the portal steps and everything slows down.

 

Amira feels her heartbeat thudding loud in her ears. She sees the shadow beast flying towards her, mid-leap. She spies its exposed chest, a vulnerable spot. Her arm moves of its own accord, up to meet her foe. She feels the impact more than she sees it. Soft flesh gives away to the cold steel of her blade and she feels the spray of hot blood. She opens her eyes when the weight of the body brings her arm and sword down to the ground as it falls. She lets go of the blade and watches numbly as the dead monster falls.

 

Amira looks out over the field of bare, jagged rocks and the gray stone before the palace. More and more monsters pour out of the east and west wings of the castle, swarming her friends. She sees the glow of Link's blade, the blasts of magical energy, Ganondorf's huge form, and the flashes of red from Midna's enchanted helm. They are back on the castle grounds, fighting through the swarms of shadow beasts to get to the entrance and to Zant, who is taunting them from above. Resolve settles her mind, calming her and she feels a new kind of energy fill her. Amira stoops down and retrieves her sword from underneath the fallen body.

 

She lets out a wild cry that triggers memories of riding among ancient Gerudo warriors in her dreams and runs towards the horde.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the feedback after the last chapter! Now that I'm all moved in and job application stuff has quieted down a bit, I have a lot more time to write. This chapter sort of wrote itself and did not go in the direction I originally planned. I hope to finish this final battle soon! Fight scenes are hard...


End file.
